Coming into Bloom
by Kiellessa
Summary: Shiemi Moriyama had always assumed she wasn't good enough to be with her fellow exorcism classmates. Finally starting to come into her own, her mother blindsided her and persuaded her into quitting cram school, but leaving might be easier said than done... Mephisto handpicked all of the Esquires for a reason, including her. Starts around chapter 83 of the manga.
1. Something Sweet

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from Ao no Exorcist, which springs from the mind and hands of the wonderful Kazue Katou.

Author's Notes: This begins around chapter 83 of the manga. I have a rough outline of where I want the story to go, but we'll see what happens. Rather large plot points keep shifting in my head, so I'm not sure if this will have any romance or not.

This chapter has not been beta read, so if anyone would be interested in being my beta, I'd love to hear from you! Also, reviews are greatly appreciated but are by no means necessary; chapters will not be dictated by response, only the speed at which I write them. Enjoy!

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 **Coming into Bloom**

 _Chapter 1: Something Sweet_

Freezing cold wind whipped her scarf about as Shiemi Moriyama shut the door labeled as the school's landscaping tool shed and placed her portal key into the zippered pocket on the side of her book bag. She quickly walked out of the small, rarely used corridor located off the side of the grand courtyard and headed to the main entrance of the school. It was a bit further out of the way than was ideal, but Chairman Mephisto felt that the area provided the privacy she needed to use her key to True Cross Academy for her regular high school classes without too many people seeing.

Shiemi had stayed up later than anticipated the previous night to mulch and cover the last flower bed in her garden that needed winter protection. It was far later in the season than she normally would have done it, but she managed to finish before the first harsh freeze had arrived overnight. Having overslept a bit, she was running behind the schedule she had set for the day.

She had already swung by the old boy's dorm where they were going to throw the Christmas Birthday Eve party. There had been no sign of either Rin or Yukio when she had arrived. After having quietly sneaked into the cafeteria, she had seen two sets of dishes on the service counter and no prepared bento in the the kitchen. That meant that the twins had already left for school or were finishing getting ready and wouldn't be passing by the cafeteria again before heading out. She had giggled happily. That meant that what she was planning on doing would be an even bigger surprise!

Instead of a small potted tree or an artificial one, she had asked Nii-chan if he would be willing to start growing a large Balsam fir… at his own pace of course. To make him as comfortable as possible, she had cleared a few of the tables away to accommodate his larger form and instructed him lay down in the sunniest part of the room. She had then set some light seasonal music to play on an old radio that her grandmother had owned and left water nearby in the largest pot she could find in the kitchen. She wanted her familiar to enjoy himself during the day since he most likely wouldn't get much out of the festivities themselves that evening. It was the least she could do seeing as he was doing her a silly favor.

She wanted the evening to go perfectly. No, she needed the evening to go perfectly. She wanted some of her last memories of being in cram school to be amazing, unforgettable, and full of laughter and smiling faces. They all needed that right now.

Looking at the tall clock tower that rose high above the school, Shiemi saw that she only had fifteen minutes before homeroom started, so she picked up her pace. Thankfully her leg movement wasn't limited by the heavier, layered kimono she usually wore this time of year since she was in her winter school uniform. The gravel on some of the pathways did make moving quickly a bit tricky in areas and she'd almost slipped twice now. Shiemi knew she was rather clumsy, so having not actually fallen to the ground was a rather large accomplishment for her. The past nine months had greatly increased her co-ordination with all of the missions and physical education classes.

Shiemi briskly walked past dozens of milling students who were laughing and talking with their friends, joyfully ignoring the prefects that were trying to move them along. It made her smile to see so many people out, enjoying the beautiful but cold December morning. The winter exams had concluded two days ago and they were relatively stress free on the final day before the break.

She spotted Yukio and would have waved to him, but his attention was focused on a group of boys in their grade who were walking along the edges of the fountain, occasionally tapping their feet on the thin sheet of ice that had formed on the remaining water, most likely in an attempt to to crack it. She wondered if he had ever done something similar, just for the fun of it, as she saw him speak sternly to the teens who then hopped down, disbanding and going their own separate ways. He always acted so mature, it was hard to imagine.

"Oi, Moriyama-san! Ohayou!"

Shiemi slowed her paced and glanced around before she spotted an arm flagging her down. There, near the steps leading up to the main doors of the high school, were Koneko and Shima. She jogged over to her friends with a smile on her face. She didn't have much time to spare, but she could at least say greet them in passing.

"Ohayou, Shima-kun! Miwa-kun! Where is everyone?" she beamed, her breath creating white clouds that swirled in the air as she spoke.

Koneko waved his greeting before tugging his hat further down on his shaved head, and then went back to blowing his own steamy breaths onto his gloved hands. She could hear his teeth chattering together behind his hands as she drew closer. The poor boy had told them that got cold easily, so she wondered why he was waiting around outside instead of heading in to warm up.

"Bon and Izumo-chan took off after they had their first argument of the day over how much he's been playing housewife for Lightning. He mentioned he might be late tonight and he was livid when she asked if he was bringin' him along as a date," Shima laughed as she rapidly approached them, and Shiemi puffed out a giggle in return.

"Oh, and Rin texted us that he's on his way. He wanted to give Koneko a small grocery list or something for tonight, so I'm keeping him company out here in the cold," Shima continued, stroking the top of the shorter teen's head, which shifted the knit hat he was wearing enough to expose one of Koneko's prominent ears. The offending hand got swatted away with an indignant cry of 'I told you to stop that!'

"But he also asked us to ask you—" Shima stopped abruptly, and turned to follow her when she didn't slow down and started up the stairs after her.

"Sorry, guys, I need to hurry! " Shiemi kept heading up the steps. "Paku-chan isn't coming today and I need to do some things for her! I'll see you tonight!"

"Wait," he called at her retreating form. "Rin wanted us to ask you if that creep's been bothering you!"

Shiemi cringed at the reminder of her newest classmate, Amaimon, or as the teacher had called him, Ambrosius Faust. It was the last day of the term, and she was pretty sure she could tough out his presence. She wouldn't have to deal with him for a week after that, and hopefully whatever interest he had in harassing her would disappear along with him by the start of the new term. However, she wasn't sure as he seemed the type to hold a grudge.

She turned her head around and sent Shima and Koneko what she hoped passed for a convincing smile, quickly shaking her head. "Tell him I'll be fine!"

Shiemi went back to focusing on where she was headed right before she was about to crash into an upperclassman, but they both to stop managed themselves just in time. Having narrowly avoided the older girl, Shiemi murmured a soft apology and dipped a quick head bow before she continued around irritated senior.

She reached her locker a few minutes later and took of her winter gear before switching out her boots for her dress shoes. Grabbing what she needed for her first two classes, she placed her book bag into the locker, shut it, and got to homeroom with eleven minutes to spare. That would be more than enough time to get a head start on the day's notes if there were any! She practically skipped her way to her desk.

People were slowly trickling into the classroom, but she couldn't say she really knew any of them, other than some of their names. She had only been there for two months and it was still difficult for her to engage with people she didn't already know. The conversations she'd had were awkward since she didn't get most pop culture references, didn't read manga (until very recently thanks to Izumo!), and the Moriyama household didn't own a TV. Not many fifteen and sixteen-year-olds were interested in talking about the weather and gardening for any length of time. Shiemi imagined she'd eventually get to the point where more people would approach her to talk and she'd actually have things to reply with, but for the time being, she was fine with cultivating her current circle of friends.

Her only friend in class B, and former cram school classmate Noriko Paku, hadn't been able to make it in and had asked her to take notes. Despite having other friends in the class that could have done the same, Nori had asked her, and Shiemi had been honored and readily accepted the task.

When she was younger, Shiemi's mother had criticsed her handwriting on the slips that went along with the shop's orders, since most of the Exorcism materials they sold required very specific instructions or dosages to be used effectively. So, since then, she had taken extra care and practiced to make her writing as neat and legible as possible. Unfortunately, she couldn't write neatly and quickly, but things were bound to be pretty easy today since she had been told most teachers weren't going to delve into anything new. Coming in early gave her a leg up on a chance to use her best penmanship for her friend's benefit.

Puffing up her cheeks, she blew a quick burst up air upward to lift her bangs and cool the thin sheen of sweat on her forehead.

The ends of her hair were still damp with perspiration after having been tucked into her scarf on her way to class, and the heater in the classroom left the air feeling humid and thick, much like a greenhouse. While she loved working in her greenhouses, semi-wet hair against flushed skin in a hot room was uncomfortable. She might not have been wearing her fleece jacket, scarf, and mittens anymore, but she was still wearing a woolen sweater over her long-sleeved dress shirt and thick winter stockings and they were doing their job of keeping heat in very well.

Hoping nobody noticed, she toed off her shoes and swayed her legs back and forth under her chair in an effort to cool herself off a bit without resorting to fanning her red cheeks.

The loudest thing in the room was the steady tapping of the teacher's chalk against the board, but the rustling of paper and low whispers was growing as more students filled their seats. The class was around one third full now and there were still twenty seats open.

Shiemi had been trying hard to be a good student the past couple of months since passing her mid terms and entering high school, but a classroom setting was still fairly new to her. Private tutoring had been easier. Then again, she had gotten overwhelmed and confused when Yukio had been helping her, too. Even with the one on one help, she tended to get a bit spacey and became easily lost, especially when covering a certain subjects, but he always took the time to help her understand and kept her relatively focused. He was an absolutely amazing teacher.

In a little less than half a year, he had taken her from a girl with an incomplete junior high education and correspondence coursework (which he had also helped with) to a someone who was able to pass an entry test for a prestigious private high school. She never knew she could learn so much, so quickly, but he made it happen, even though he had demurred and said that she was the one who was making amazing strides in her academics. When she insisted it was all due to him, he had gently, but firmly stated that he was just working with what talent was already there, and being naive wasn't the same as lacking intellectual capacity. His words of encouragement had always made her want to work even harder. To be more like him.

He was so dedicated and talented for his age, which, apart from being cute, was what caught her attention right when she first met him… but he seemed to have become more distant. Maybe he was pushing himself too hard. The smiles were still there, but they lacked the warmth they used to have and no longer reached his eyes.

Shiemi felt like most of her own smiles had been forced the past few days, and she was doing the best she could to keep herself from falling apart with artificial cheer, hoping it would take root inside of her and become real.

Although the "choice" had supposedly remained for her to continue her Exorcist training, it was left unspoken that she needed to drop out. She had promised her mother. Shiemi didn't understand why her mother had even bothered letting her go to cram school in the first place if she knew it was going to conflict with what she was expected to do. Shiemi hated secrets and lying, especially when seeing the disastrous results after her friends had kept so many. All of things that they had tried to shoulder alone inevitably came out and blew up in everyone's faces. When that would happen, they would all tackle the issue together, and after, hopefully having learned a valuable lesson in trusting others, they would became stronger as a whole, as friends. But it seemed a never ending cycle of mistrust and lies, regardless of all that they'd been through.

And now, Shiemi was doing the same. Despite how close it came to lying, she tried to rationalise that omitting the truth wasn't as bad... but she knew it was. They needed to know why she was leaving cram school. They deserved to know, but she couldn't tell them. They'd never look at her the same way again.

So, now, to make it up to them and herself, Shiemi was pouring herself into what she did know was right: helping her all of friends as much as she could, while she could. That's why the notes were important. That's why the party was so critical. Hopefully time would eventually censor the memories she was making and shine the most focus on the things that had made her happiest.

Finally starting to cool off, Shiemi began to toe her shoes back on when she felt the hairs on the nape of her still damp neck prickle and the eerie, hair-raising feeling raced down the skin of her back like a cold electrical wave pulsing through her. She shivered as the weird chill swept over her shoulders all the way to her fingertips. Mixed with the damp heat of her drying sweat, it almost made her feel feverish.

Apparently, the newest 'student' had arrived to class early as well. It was uncanny that the recent, unpleasant feeling of what she could only describe as hackles being raised happened _every_ time he came into the room. She resisted the urge to rub her arms and rid herself of the goosebumps that remained, knowing he was already watching her.

Trying to surreptitiously glance two desks back, she reached down to the right to pull her shoes on by hand and saw the lanky body of a teenage boy unceremoniously drop himself into his seat, with no books or supplies to be seen. Shiemi highly doubted he had anything with him other than dozens of various sweets which he would suck on and crunch loudly throughout class, leaving wrappers and paper sticks all over his desk and the floor by the end of the period. He obviously wasn't there to learn. The teachers were too terrified of both him and the headmaster to complain about him being a nuisance and all of the other students had decided that it was in their best interests to keep silent about the strange new foreign student, as well, at least while in class.

As she suspected, Amaimon was staring impassively in her direction.

Shiemi refused to look at his eyes and hoped that he didn't notice her peeking at him through the thin curtain of hair that was concealing her face as she slowly tugged on the first shoe.

Currently, a lollipop stick was hanging from his slightly parted lips, held in place by clenched fangs. One side of his lip was slightly higher than the other, almost what she would consider a sneer but not quite. Maybe it was some sort of warped sense of a morning greeting for everyone around him or maybe it was meant to intimidate her. Whatever it had been, it didn't last long before he closed his mouth to roll the candy around and suck on it hard. His long tongue flicked out to lick his lower lip and readjust the lollipop to the left side of his mouth before sucking hard on it again before that awful, muted half-sneer reappeared. It all seemed very deliberate...as if he knew Shiemi was watching him.

Shiemi almost feel out of her seat when Amaimon confirmed that he was aware of her attention by hunching over in his chair and leaning out, cocking his head down until it was level with hers.

Steadying herself with one hand on her desk, a blush seared across Shiemi's cheeks as she quickly tugged the other shoe on, bolted upright, and averted her gaze back toward the front of the room. Apparently she hadn't been discreet enough and Amaimon knew she was looking.

She tried to finish taking notes since class was due to start in a few minutes, but Shiemi's fingers had stilled again after a few strokes. She flexed them around her pencil and attempted to re-focus and clear herself of the uneasy fog that had invaded her mind upon seeing the demon king.

Although she'd told Shima she could handle it, having no fellow Esquires in her class and no Paku to distract her today with quiet chatter left her feeling incredibly vulnerable. A sitting duck, with a very large, very dangerous predator lurking in her pond. He hadn't actually done anything so far, but she doubted he enjoyed wasting his days in a classroom just to unnerve her with his endless stare. Honestly, why was he here?

Shiemi had replayed the confrontation between her, Rin, and Amaimon in her head numerous times since it occurred. She had concluded that he had most likely already been enrolled at the time, since he had been wearing a school uniform when it happened, and she vaguely remembered Shima, Koneko, and Bon commenting similarly.

And then he had been introduced to her class less than ten minutes later. From the history they had previous to their most recent encounter, to the exchange in the hallway, to be added into her class, and for him to be harassing her in such a way… Amaimon was there for a reason, she was sure of it. He couldn't have enrolled in the school if he hadn't been given permission, could he? And what about the wards, barriers, and mazes that were in place to keep higher-level demons out?

Chairman Pheles, who controlled those defenses and school enrollment, had blatantly stated the Esquires were all pawns in his "game" when he had called them to his office a few weeks prior. She had no idea what he could have meant at that time, and she still didn't, but now she had a suspicion that her "important role" role was tied to what her mother had recently told her. She couldn't imagine that the True Cross Academy director would put her in harm's way by allowing his brother to be there if she was of any importance to his plans.

But as intimidating and mysterious Mephisto Pheles —no, Samael the King of Time— was, of the two Princes of Gehenna keeping tabs on her, Amaimon was the only one who had physically threatened both her and her friends… several times now.

And he was two seats behind her at this very moment.

 _'Stop thinking about that! Think about the party! There's still so much to do! The tree-trimming, the decorations, getting the costume on…'_ she urged herself, and then it struck her. _'I didn't pack my Santa costume in my bag!'_

It wasn't the end of the world; she'd go get it after she finished setting everything up, but it was just another thing she had to add to her to-do list.

Shiemi was startled out of her thoughts when loud crack followed by an absurdly acoustic crunching noise broke the relative quiet of the room. She wondered if he was deliberately being obnoxious with his constant, loud eating in an attempt to antagonize her when she couldn't see him staring at her. Or did he regularly eat that much junk no matter what he was doing? If so, he had a really high metabolism to stay so lean.

She moved her hand to write again and immediately stopped when more crunching ensued. Really, did he need to be so loud? It was almost as if he was munching away right next to her ear instead of being a ways behind her. Was he using some sort of magic or was she just too focussed on him and it just felt that way?

Whatever the case, he finished his candy with an audible gulp, and the regular sounds of the classroom rushed into the room once more as if they'd been dampened while he was eating. This was ridiculous. Why could she not just tune him out? Shiemi fought to regain her focus before Amaimon— too late.

The momentary peace she'd received was shattered by the crinkle of another sucker being freed from its wrapper. It was irritating and unnerving at the same time, his endless grazing. But worst of all, Shiemi knew whatever bizarre show he was putting on was for her and her alone within these walls. Nobody else seemed as affected as she was.

 _'I can't let him get to me. I have to be brave. I've stood up to him once already walked away from it… with Rin's help. But... but I won't always have Rin and Yuki-chan to be there for me, like now. I need to remember that—'_

Her thoughts faltered as she felt something hit her near her right shoulder and heard whatever it was fall lightly to the floor. Furrowing her brow both in question and in shock, she glanced down saw a small white paper stick with traces of orange dye on one end. A used lollipop stick. He'd thrown his trash at her!

Shiemi noticed a handful of the other students look her way, after they'd obviously seen something fly a short distance across the room and hit her, but they said nothing and then acted like they were going back to what they had been doing. She imagined they were continuing to pay attention to see if anything would happen and that made her even more nervous. It felt like there were far too many many eyes on her, but one set made her far more nervous than all of the others combined. A cold, nervous sweat started to break out on her skin.

She quickly debated whether it would be wiser to ignore the Earth King or acknowledge that he wanted her attention. He had made it very clear that he hated to be ignored. So, taking a deep breath, Shiemi smoothed the irritation and fear out her features the best she could and turned herself in her chair to face Amaimon.

For the moment, it seemed he'd decided to actually sit in his chair, with his left knee up, one arm casually draped on it, and the other leg stretched out below his desk. His right arm rested on the tabletop, his hand toying with the discarded plastic wrapper, dark claws lightly tapping and scraping the wooden surface each time he moved his fingers. The demon's pose looked slightly less sinister than him crouching on his chair —or desktop— like a living gargoyle as he was wont to do. It didn't make much of a difference to Shiemi in the long run as hew was still here but at least he looked less imposing this way. One of the eight Princes of Gehenna in your class would be unnerving no matter how he sat, especially if his gaze was constantly trained on your back. Or like right now, looking directly into her eyes.

Shiemi felt the odd shiver pass through her body for the second time that morning but it seemed even more intense, and she briefly wondered if it was just her nerves or if he was actually doing something to her. Trying her best not to tremble too much, she kept his gaze.

The last time they had made this much direct eye contact he had told her to die and then took a swing at her. Granted, even that only happened after she had refused his "offer" to demean herself and crawl away as an apology after stopping him from antagonizing a shell-shocked Rin (which was her fault) and pushing the Earth King down. On top of her refusal to bend to his will, she'd yelled at him some more, vowing to become an Exorcist. Probably not the wisest decision she had ever made, but it was her one of her proudest. She needed to continue to be brave!

Seconds ticked by and nothing happened. After around ten more had passed, Shiemi couldn't help but fidget with the hem of her skirt as she averted her eyes, settling them on her hands clasped in her lap.

Sadly, it was so much easier to act brave when there were strong friends around, but at the moment that wasn't the case. Shiemi had already backed out her ardent vow to fight for the innocent and the weak against demons - not that she rescinded the vow lightly or that it was truly by choice. In one sharp instant, all of what she had said and done in her stupidly brave moment days ago suddenly felt hollow and she felt even more pitiful and small under his golden stare.

 _'No! I'm not weak!'_

She forced herself to look at him again, refusing to let herself fall any further into self-doubt than she already was. She couldn't go back to being a shrinking violet. No matter how weak she was, people still believed in her. She just had to believe in herself. First things, first…

"D-did you want something, Amai— Faust-kun?" There, she had broken the silence with only the slightest of stuttering and almost saying the wrong name! That wasn't too bad, right?

Amaimon's face remained unreadable while he used the fingers of one clawed hand to take the newest lollipop —this time a green one— out of his mouth. Licking it twice, he narrowed his eyes at her only slightly, but she didn't like that it looked like he was considering something. He didn't say anything for what seemed like ages, and when he finally spoke, it was in a voice loud enough for anyone nearby to hear.

"Stay after classes."

Apparently, that was all he had to say since he placed the candy back into his mouth. His eyes remained fixed on her, and she dreaded what she needed to say next. She already had something scheduled, plans that even the Chairman was aware of since she had felt obligated to invite him after Yukio had gotten permission to use the old boys' dorm to host it. She couldn't back out!

"I c-can't… not today." It took all she had to not start fidgeting again and she settled for clenching her fists. "I already… I already have plans."

"What did you say?" he asked with a hint of incredulity in his voice, and Shiemi swore she something flash in his eyes. He didn't look overly dangerous with his relatively benign expression and the stick wagging in the corner of his mouth as he talked around it, but she knew better. "You're defying my commands again, bride?"

 _'Stop calling me your 'bride' in front of people!'_ she wanted to yell at him, but settled for pinching her lips and snorting lightly out her nose in indignation. _'I'm not your anything!'_

"Answer me."

Eyes widening in panic, Shiemi quickly looked around and saw that more people had turned to gawk, not even hiding that they were watching and listening anymore. Amaimon didn't seem to care in the slightest, but she couldn't help but blush furiously at the all of the unwanted attention. Why couldn't he have just stared at her like he had for the past two days? Even that was less awkward than this!

"I said I can't today," she repeated quickly, lowering her voice and hoping he would catch on. "I'm throwing a... a party."

She might be deficient on common social etiquette, but she'd been scolded plenty of times by her friends for having certain conversations at bad times and inappropriate volumes. Shiemi felt that this was one of those moments that they would have pulled her aside or started flapping their arms at her (Izumo had rolled her eyes and her and explained that it meant to 'stop talking' or 'quiet down' when she finally asked why people did that). She didn't think the Earth King would appreciate either of those.

He tilted his head slightly, blinked… then stood up and started toward her. That's when she felt her heart leap into her throat, and thoughts of being brave started to crumble into dust and blow away as if they never existed. She wasn't sure what he planned to do, but she couldn't just wait to find out.

In her panic, she almost tried to summon Nii-chan, but swiftly remembered her familiar was growing the Christmas tree in the boys' dorm, and for whatever reason, he hadn't helped the last time she was in this situation, either. Nii-chan had stood there on her shoulder, shaking and unresponsive. It had been Rin who saved her from being hit. She also wasn't sure what the fallout would be from summoning a familiar while she was in her normal classes even if most, if not all of the class, wouldn't be able to see him.

The demon languidly walked over, dragging his hand along the empty desks between their own, his claws scraping along the tops, eyes pinning her like a bug. It was an open threat. What could she do?! Her mind went into overdrive as panic set in, desperately searching for something that would stop him in his tracks.

' _Pheles-san would probably—'_ and an idea for leverage struck her. ' _Pheles-san! Amaimon said he'd promised his brother he'd be good!'_

Amaimon was almost to her desk when she blurted out, "Faust-san already knows! He gave us permission to have the party on campus. I invited him to come! I have to be there!"

Sheiemi doubted that the Chairman or some of the others she had invited would show up to a silly party thrown by teenagers to celebrate birthdays and Christmas at the same time, but Amaimon didn't need to know that.

He paused only slightly upon registering her words before walking the last of the distance to her chair. She had begun stand up to get away, but by that time, he was standing so close she could feel the fabric of his pants brush against her knees, and she fell the short distance back into her seat with a soft thump.

Shiemi nervously glanced around at the classroom before tilting her head up to watch for any sudden movements by the demon that seemed to have it in for her. She heard people whispering around her and even the teacher had turned around at this point, but nobody made a move to help her —not that there was anything that she or anyone in the room could do if he chose to attack her.

Amaimon lifted his gloved right hand up and she winced, expecting the worst, but was surprised when he reached into his school blazer's left pocket and withdrew something. She didn't see what it was and she didn't have time to try and peak, as he leaned down uncomfortably close, placing the same hand palm down on her desk. His long claws clicked loudly against the wood as they made contact and the ends of his loose tie brushed against the tops of her thighs.

Shiemi hadn't been this close to his face since he'd tried to kiss her in the woods to seal their 'marriage,' and even though she could control her body this time, there was still very little she could do other than try to lean further back. Unfortunately, he matched her movements and if she kept pulling back, she would fall out of her chair. She could smell the almost overwhelmingly artificial fruity sweetness of his breath as it fanned against her cheeks, and she could make out the individual wrinkles of the dark bags under his golden eyes. Even if they had been on good terms she would have felt on edge. This was far too intimate for her, regardless of the context.

Once again, Shiemi felt that uncomfortable tingle start to flow from the base of her scalp and outward through her body, practically all of the hairs on her skin standing on end. She gasped and started trembling when the sensation didn't subside but instead flowed over her again and again like tidal waves overlapping each other, and she began to truly fear that she was having a seizure or worse as her body began to ache from her shaking. Shiemi imagined he could probably hear the air crackle with the nervous energy that had to be radiating off of her stronger with each pulse she felt. If this kept up, she was certain that she would pass out.

"Tomorrow at sunrise," Amaimon said in an even, if somewhat garbled voice, after observing her for a few seconds. He appeared either oblivious or ambivalent to her discomfort.

With his free hand, he pulled the sucker out of his mouth with a loud smack and held just it below the gap between their faces. At least she thought she saw it there out of her peripheral vision. It was getting hard for her to focus on much of anything other than the endless depth charges resonating inside of her, drowning out her senses.

And then, the pulsing abruptly stopped.

Despite being happy the sensation had ended, it was jarring going back to feeling normal. The pain that had settled into her bones lingered and Shiemi shivered, her lips parting wide in shock as she sucked in a large gulp of air. She knew that it had most likely only been a few seconds, but it had felt so much longer.

"No friends next time." The right corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibility as he tapped his lower lip with the candy. Cocking his head, he added, "Just me and my bride."

Now that she was fairly certain she wasn't going to be harmed —at this moment, anyway— Shiemi became conscious of how her heart was attempting to beat its way out of her chest and she was trying to resist the urge to pant. Her eyes blinked repeatedly a few times and she gently shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind and calm down. That was next to impossible seeing as he was still centimeters away.

 _'If only he would leave!'_

Amaimon pushed himself up with the hand on her desk, and she immediately thought her prayers had been answered. That is, until he put what remained of his lollipop into her slack mouth before she even realised what he was doing. With that, he turned and walked away.

 _'What? Did he just—?!'_

Bewildered and not sure what to make of what had just happened, Shiemi quickly pulled the sucker out of her mouth and dazedly looked at it for a moment while trying to collect herself. Indeed, the sweet in her hand was the same one that had been in his mouth not a minute ago. Her mind absently identified the flavor as something similar to green apple, and she vaguely hoped it was regular human candy.

She, along with the teacher and everyone else who was in the room, watched Amaimon walk out of the door as the chimes that marked the final warning to get to class filtered into the room.

Shiemi snapped back into reality and her face began to turn an undiscovered shade of red as the whispering of the students grew louder and people started guessing that it was a lovers quarrel or something equally outlandish in her mind. They only stopped after the teacher cleared her throat and cast a disapproving glare over the class, with the majority of it resting on her.

Oh, how she wished she could just burrow into the ground right now and stay there for the rest of the winter!

Ducking her head down in embarrassment, her eyes caught sight of something dark laying next to the notes she'd been taking that hadn't been there before.

It was a bronze key.


	2. Grounded

Disclaimer: Kazue Katou owns everything from Ao no Exorcist, not me.

Author's Notes: Starting to figure out the direction I want to head in a bit more.

As the names haven't been mentioned in the manga, from what I recall, anyway, I've given Shiemi's mother the name Mariko and her grandmother the name Take.

Thank you very much to all that have reviewed so far. They made me smile! I hope you all like this chapter, too! Still no beta reader, so if anyone is interested, you know what to do! Sorry for the length of these notes! Carry on, and enjoy!

* * *

 **Coming into Bloom**

 _Chapter 2: Grounded_

Well, that was done.

The lollipop stick, which he had absently flicked, had wound up hitting the girl. It had been purely coincidental, but getting her attention had turned out to be a windfall. His only task today had been to give her the key, and he had, so now he could go do something else.

Amaimon walked toward the entrance of the school to go outside and entertain himself. He stroked the key chain of his transmogrified familiar. Maybe Behemoth would want to dig some more tunnels in the lower forest that had been partially charred during his fight with Rin. Then again, Older Brother had said some residents of the town had fallen into a few last time he let his familiar frolic and he'd been told to stop making them. Whether he played with Behemoth or did something else, it wasn't important. All that mattered was that was no longer stuck inside a small room surrounded by humans.

Other than watching how the girl reacted when he flared his aura —just to get back at her for having had the nerve to stand up to him in the hallway in front of otouto— classes were _dreadful_. Thankfully, as it turned out, she was far more sensitive than he had imagined as even the faintest brush of his power against her, even focusing on her intently, had proved to be effective. It had turned out to be amusing exercise in fine control, since he wasn't used to playing gently or exerting caution. Too much and he could accidentally shatter all of her bones or worse. She was fragile and bubble-like, as all humans were; far too easily ruptured and destroyed.

She deserved it, broken bones and all, in his opinion. She had dared to touch him. To push he, the Earth King, to the ground as if she were an equal or even better. It was unexpected, and where he normally would have been furious, it had only invigorated him, which irritated him even more. He was obviously far too bored these days if starting a fight with a weak girl was interesting. Too many months left being impaled in Limbo must've addled his senses.

But _her_ defending Rin... that had been unexpected. Gutsy, and _utterly_ pathetic, but unexpected. The kitten had claws, after all. Unfortunately for her, his were sharper and far more deadly. Literally.

Samael had later admonished him for simply taking a swing at her, but Amaimon had felt that Younger Brother would have woken up out of his stupor to stop his fist from making contact… and he hadn't been wrong. He couldn't say that wasn't immensely disappointing. Rin's face was begging for a punch, as much as hers was. The stupid girl had gotten in his way and ruined his fun. He had even tried to get his point across that she wasn't his target when he'd benevolently offered her to apologize, extending the mewling doe-eyed fool an abnormal amount of mercy, but she had still refused. She had insulted him in front of others. Dominated him. Nobody got away with that.

Unfortunately, he couldn't actually kill her. Or her annoying friends. Or anybody, it seemed. That was half the fun of being in Assiah. Youngest brother needed to learn his place, blue flames be damned. Oh well, he'd probably have another chance. Too bad the next fight probably wouldn't be soon enough for Amaimon's tastes.

As for Shiemi, since he couldn't kill her, he would have to settle make her life miserable any chance he had. Only his Elder Brothers and chichiue had the power to defy and humiliate him, but that insignificant scrap of a girl had already done so repeatedly. She'd be paying for her transgressions for a very, very long time or until Brother had lost his use for her and let Amaimon settle the score.

The Earth King hopped over a banister, bypassing a large set of stairs, and landed on the next level down. Now that there was no need to sit there in classes, utterly bored, he was free to do as he pleased. He'd gotten fairly good at sleeping with his eyes open over the centuries, but this was ridiculous. How short-lived humans tolerated wasting so much time sitting complacently, he had no idea. These classes lasted _all day_. So much sitting. And talking. It was insufferable.

Aniue had cruelly placed large windows in the rooms so the humans could see all the wonderful things outside but not be allowed to leave, obviously as a way to tease the students and staff. Why else would one do such a thing? Longing for what you couldn't have. Brother had done something similar to Amaimon back in the middle-ages, but it had involved a transparent time-prison and being impaled on a spike in the corner of Samael's dining room. He'd had to watch Brother eat at a lavish table overflowing with food while he, himself, was slowly starving. That had lasted four months, but these classes were said to be year-round. Physical pain was manageable, this was mental torture.

That reminded him: he was still hungry. Candy wasn't very filling. Amaimon changed direction and instead of going outside, he headed toward the hall that would take him to the teachers' lounge.

Needing something to occupy himself and get the rancid taste of that sickly apple abomination out of his mouth, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blue candy. Ah, it was mint. He liked these. That last lollipop had been horrible, but he hadn't wasted it. Older Brother had told him to stop throwing away the flavors he didn't like, and Amaimon had debated eating it anyway, but her mouth had been hanging open, so he took advantage of it and embarrassed and upset her immensely, he was certain of that. He was also positive that she had turned a delightful shade of red afterward though he hadn't bothered to look. Two birds, one sugary stone. Done. No more gross lollipop. It was hers now. He'd followed aniue's orders.

That girl… Why the hell were his thoughts going back to her? She irritated him far beyond what she should have been able to, but he wasn't sure why. Apart from being bait, she was nothing special, as far as he was concerned. Decent enough to look at, but just as expendable as the rest of her kind. Brother apparently thought differently, and bizarrely enough, something about her pulled at him, too, but he wrote it off as wanting revenge against her and his otouto.

And that very same annoying twit had essentially just told _him_ when they would meet.

Older Brother should have told him beforehand that she was attending an important party with him. She wouldn't have had the upper hand. It felt like she had controlled the conversation, once again insulting his status and powert. He'd have to do something about that tomorrow. She would learn her place under his boot, just like otouto.

But despite the grave injustice of having her telling him he'd have to wait until tomorrow to get whatever this was over with, the information had surprised Amaimon as well. With how nervous he, himself, made her, he couldn't imagine her wanting to spend time with Samael. He didn't particularly enjoy time with Older Brother - any of his brothers, in truth, since they always made sure to show how much weaker he was compared to them, except Beelzebub, who was the only one lower than him in rank. Even then, the King of Insects was an unbearable asshole that Amaimon avoided whenever possible. Samael was the only one he could tolerate for any length of time, and that was mostly due to being indebted. Well, that and indulging in luxuries that came along with aniue's status and human wealth. It didn't hurt to have one of his strongest and more knowledgeable siblings appear favor him over the others. That could come in handy.

Could it be the girl was so foolish that she didn't know who aniue actually was? It was possible. Unlike himself, he rarely heard Brother use his real name and title.

Brother liked witholding information at the expense of others. Much like Amaimon hadn't been informed what he was supposed to do with her the following morning when he met with her, but it most likely wasn't for reasons he'd enjoy. Another annoyance. He fingered the key that remained in his pocket. It was identical to the one he'd given the girl. Brother had said it would take him to a garden, but not which garden. It was a good thing that she wouldn't be asking him any questions before they met. He'd be made to look a fool by her once again, and there was no way in hell he was going to let that happen. He just hoped that Samael would instruct on him what he was to do before he got there. Obviously, this was an ongoing pet project of his, and it must have been particularly important if his own help was needed and him going in blind was hardly the best way to accomplish things.

Hopefully the conversation would be short. Aniue loved the monologues and soliloquies humans had used in stage plays long ago, and he had never moved on from that. He talked too much and was far too engrossed in human drama. Everything he did came with a lengthy plot and a script.

Amaimon had always operated in a far simpler manner than the grand schemes Older Brother enjoyed. Hungry? Eat. Bored? Find something to do. Creative? Make a canyon or an island. Happy? Smile. Angry? Kill something; although killing something could also be applied to all of the above, in his opinion. Killing was the simplest and fastest solution to virtually any given problem. It seemed incredibly dull to wait days or years to finally get something done. Instant gratification was far more enjoyable.

Walking down the corridor on the ground floor, Amaimon then went into to the faculty lounge where he rummaged around in one of the cupboards near the mini-refrigerator. Pulling out a large packet of crisps he found there, he strolled back into the hallway, eating his new find. If anyone saw him, they didn't bother to confront him for being truant, and he easily walked out the door of the school without being disturbed.

That didn't last as he heard a voice yelling at him to stop once he'd reached the bottom of the steps that lead to the courtyard. Slowing but not stopping, he watched a young man in a school uniform running after him. When he got closer, Amaimon noticed that a prefect's badge was bouncing against the boy's blazer in time with each step he took.

"Stop! You're supposed to be in class!" the boy called again, but he skidded to a halt at the top of the staircase once he saw Amaimon's face, and the boy's own immediately paled. He stayed where he was, not daring to get closer. "Oh, wait… you're Director Faust-san's nephew, aren't you?"

Without thinking, Amaimon corrected him, "Brother."

"That's what I thought. Wait," the boy did a double-take, what Amaimon had said registering, "wait, what? Your uncle's your… brother?"

Amaimon shrugged, not bothering to elaborate on his answer.

"O-o-oh, um, okay. I think… I think I, uh, get it." The prefect stood there looking stupid with his mouth opening and closing in rapid succession as Amaimon walked away. "I... I'll have to report you, you know!"

Amaimon couldn't have cared less.

Heading down the paths and crossing entry bridge, he reached the street. Amaimon ducked behind a building and leapt up. Bounding quickly and quietly across the roofs, he headed down to the forest. He and Behemoth were going to play in the dirt; he would just need to remember to collapse the tunnels this time.

* * *

Three hours had passed, when there was a muffled, tinny sound in the pitch black of Amaimon and Behemoth's underground excavations. His familiar didn't appreciated the interruption and growled, his claws finally stopping their endless movements that tore through the earth around them.

Amaimon still wasn't used to the nuisance of carrying a phone. They broke easily and this was his third —and he was told, last— since arriving in Assiah months ago. Any future replacements —he was also told— would be paid for in flesh. For being a multi-billionaire, aniue was incredibly uncharitable when it came to others. How very demon of him.

Despite its cheapness, the phone had remarkably good reception, both underground and even in Gehenna. He assumed that was Older Brother's doing. However, Amaimon had found out the hard way that blood and debris could easily make them stop functioning, so it was best used in a clean environment. He could remedy that easily.

Bursting through numerous layers of rock and soil, which parted itself easily to accommodate him, the Earth King shot to the surface, followed closely behind by his hobgoblin. Patting down his pockets in search of the device, he had to push an excited Behemoth down.

 _'Treat?!_ his familiar garbled out in its native language. Large puddles of drool formed beneath his agile, round body as he continued to scramble and push against his master. Within seconds, the ground was muddy from the copious amounts of saliva. That happened often as a hobgoblin's mouth accounted for half of its body. Aniue didn't appreciate it when Amaimon brought his familiar with him when he was invited over for something Samael called a 'game night.' The carpets had to be cleaned each time, and Brother had punted the small demon out the highest window the last time he'd made a mess. It had taken Amaimon hours to find him again.

After locating it in a trouser pocket, Amaimon pulled out the small flip phone and looked it quickly gave it a once-over. It was apparently more durable than the last one. After their playtime, it was thankfully unscathed, if not smudged with dirt. Snapping his fingers, the whining Behemoth was attached to his hip as a key chain again, and the dirt and mud fell away from his clothes.

"Moshi, moshi," he greeted after flicking the device open. There was no question as to who the caller was and he hadn't bothered to look at the id.

"It has come to my attention that Ambrosius Faust hasn't attended class this morning, apart from a brief disturbance with Moriyama-san," he could heard the false smile in Samael's voice. Aniue was unhappy about something. "Already skipping school after only two days? Tsk, tsk!"

"There was no need to stay," Amaimon responded. It was the truth. He'd done what he'd been asked to do for the day.

"Come to my office."

So much for a free day.

"Yes, aniue." Turning to leave, he suddenly remembered.

Summoning his power, Amaimon stomped his foot and the earth rumbled, all of the networks of tunnels he had made collapsing... along with numerous trees. He sighed at the sight of uneven ground. Brother wouldn't be happy with it being left this way, either. Amaimon made a quick smoothing motion with his hand, and the depressions left behind in the earth filled themselves until they were level again. He picked up the trees that had been felled and slammed them back into the ground, which opened to allow the roots back in before crowding around them again. Lastly, he picked up any of the fallen larger branches and hurled them in the direction of the water that surrounded the private island.

There. Almost perfect. Aniue couldn't complain this time.

He ignored what he thought were muffled cries as he swiftly made his way back to the academy.

* * *

Heading through the throngs of teenagers in the large foyer, Amaimon made his way up the five flights of stairs to his brother's office. It was slower than jumping up to the large windows he had used in the past, but he was being more discreet, as was asked of him.

He'd only been this way once. It was fairly obvious where to head, and not just due to the strategically place signs. Older Brother always wanted to be above others, in every way, so he'd naturally be in the highest part of the school.

The long hallway at the top of the stairs had colorfully papered walls and gilded surfaces, and was peppered with paintings and busts of Samael in his current incarnation, Johann Faust the V, as well as large mirrors that stretched from floor to ceiling. Glimpsing himself in of of them, Amaimon looked drab by comparison. The reflection shimmered before settling again, a slight tingle passing over him.

Curious, Amaimon stepped closer to one, almost touching the surface before remembering that aniue had mentioned having traps and defense measures set around the school in addition to the wards and barriers. These were most likely inter-dimensional portals to Limbo. Brother liked those. Amaimon, however, hated them with a passion. He'd just been in one for two-and-a-half months.

The two portraits on either side of the large, ornately carved door had strong auras surrounding them; they were possessed. Never having considered it before, he briefly wondered what his brother did to make sure his traps didn't spring on the unsuspecting humans in the building. Oh well, wasn't his problem.

After knocking once, he opened the door when Samael called for him to enter, and walked to the sitting area not taking a seat. Instead, he stood there as patiently as he could, waiting to be acknowledged. Amaimon pulled a butterscotch toffee out of his pocket. Hopefully brother wouldn't keep him long. This was his last sweet and he was hungry again.

Older Brother was leaning back in his elegant leather chair playing a handheld game, legs crossed with his feet resting on top of several small stacks of paperwork on the desk in front of him. The large room was just as opulent as the rest of the school.

Aniue loved his possessions and wealth, but he loved to show them off even more.

If Brother ever cared to visit his domain —which he couldn't recall him doing in recent memory— Amaimon was sure Older Brother would have nothing but disdain for the minimally furnished caverns he called home. Beneath a large Gehennan forest of twisted black trees that was surrounded by wasteland, it was his own little oasis. The granite he had wasn't polished, the only mirrored surface a dark subterranean lake, and the only gleam was from phosphorous algae and raw minerals catching torchlight and what little sunlight managed to sneak in. He did have numerous demon plants above ground, though, some of which were deceptively beautiful but deadly.

But he wasn't home, he was here. Waiting. Brother was unhappy about something and he would most likely find out the cause soon enough.

The expensive looking desk in front of him had numerous figurines and oddities from the human entertainment aniue loved so much, which were not found throughout the rest of the school. Amaimon had been explicitly forbidden to touch any of the small toys, or as Brother had called them, 'priceless collectibles.' One of the plastic statues looked remarkably similar to the girl Amaimon had "claimed" as his bride, a character which his brother had described as moe. Innocence mixed with flirtation. He had to admit that the look was appealing. Both on the girl and the figurine. Very virginal.

Virgins.

Amaimon hadn't received a virgin sacrifice in quite some time, he mused, since most of the cults who had worshiped him had long since faded away. Although why they always killed them before trying to summon him had never ceased to make him wonder. What had they expected him to do with the body? He understood pleasures of the flesh seeing as Asmodeus, a high-level demon who could control Lust, was under his command, but a partner who wasn't alive? The cultists had never bothered to ask his preference, and that certainly wasn't it. And unlike some of his brothers, Amaimon didn't find the taste of human flesh very appealing. If only they had refined sugar back then, he might have shown up more often instead of ignoring the cultists' summons.

"Would you happen to know why there's a rumor starting to spread around the school implying that our family is incestuous?" Samael asked, finally acknowledging Amaimon since he had entered.

Amaimon blinked his way out of his stray thoughts, trying to figure out what Brother was talking about, and then he remembered the prefect from earlier. Yes, looking back, his lack of clarification could have possibly been misconstrued.

Although aniue had asked the question nonchalantly, the sounds of his game and his fingers tapping buttons had paused slightly. It had been asked almost too casually. Maybe that was why he was upset? Was something like that important enough to be disciplined for? Even if it were true, were humans that prudish now? He knew they hadn't been in the past…

Feigning innocence, Amaimon shrugged his shoulders; Brother hadn't bothered to look up, but he knew Samael was still watching him. For good measure, he tacked on a: "No, aniue."

Older Brother grunted non-noncommittally, possibly believing him, then swore at his hand-held console.

"At any rate, you do realise that had I wanted you to simply harass the girl, I wouldn't have bothered enrolling you into the school, correct?" Samael didn't bother glancing up.

Amaimon had existed for millennia, and spent well more than a thousand years in mortal form in Assiah, when not returning to Gehenna to secure his realm and power. Surely Brother didn't mean...

"You want me to attend classes?"

"My dear ototou, a few months time spent amongst humans would help expose you to the widest range of emotions on the planet! The drama! The angst! First love! First heartbreak! It's unparalleled and unscripted! It's high school!" Samael sang, obviously far too invested in mortal life. His zest explained why he seemed oddly content with running two schools, an Exorcist branch, and scheming both with and against chichiue. Chaos, discord, and intrigue apparently happened here daily, on which aniue thrived.

"When was the last time you actually lived among humans?" he continued.

Amaimon honestly couldn't remember when he'd spent much time surrounded by mortals, let alone become involved in their mundane lives. The last thirty-five years or so had been spent in Gehenna trying to get his newest host body acclimated to his powers.

Before that, he recalled wandering through a few eastern European countries around the time when electricity had still been a fairly new discovery. Much had changed since then, but humans were still humans: inferior and weak.

Contrarily, Amaimon wondered when the last time Samael had visited Gehenna. Chichiue was getting anxious about it, agreements he had with Samael, aside. It had been several hundred years at this point. He rarely came back after he acquired a body but then he stopped returning altogether, unlike the rest of his brothers, apart from Azazel who was another curiosity of which chichue was wary.

"Don't worry. I'll gladly help you remedy your lack of socialization. That's what big brother's are for, after all: a guiding hand."

Was aniue really suggesting he go to school? To sit there among the humans and learn pointless things like maths and literature? Was Samael being serious?

"You may enjoy your last day of freedom as you wish, but starting in the new term, you will be attending class daily. Knowledge is a precious thing, and you are highly lacking when it comes to most things. I'll not have you squandering this chance to better yourself in one of Japan's top academies."

"May I ask why, aniue?"

"Because you're uncouth and despite being somewhat competent in a physical battle, if everything goes as planned, I cannot have you staying is Assiah as you are," Samael smiled venomously. "Could you tell me the current leader of Japan? The leader of any country, for that matter?"

"What does it matter? All of the humans alive today will be dead within one hundred years. If Father manages to come into this world again, or Lucifer onii-sama goes through with his plans, they will all be dead even sooner."

Samael let out a contemptuous laugh and shook his head, eyes still on his game. "Oh, my naïve brother... whether you want to admit it or not, it is humans that rule this world. We are visitors who can influence and mold but we don't have the capacity to rule capricious creatures in a way that they would survive. We have power and immortality, they have ingenuity and persistence. We have virtually nothing at stake, whereas they have everything on the line. Without them, we would have no power. Without them, we wouldn't exist. We must maintain a balance, and Lucifer and chichiue are too short-sighted to see that."

And there he went; Brother was monologuing again. It was best to just admit defeat. He was just as stubborn as Oldest Brother and chichiue and would never change his views.

"I understand, aniue," Amaimon complied. Anything to make him stop blathering and get to the matter at hand, namely what exactly was in store for him

Shutting off the game, Samael sat up and set the handheld console in a drawer, finally deigning to look him. "Education aside, things will be changing very soon and there will be far more dangers to which the students will be exposed. You will be one of my insurance policies."

It was worse than Amaimon had feared. It wasn't just days of boring lectures from insipid teachers.

Biting his tongue until he had nearly severed it in half, Amaimon swallowed the angry words that rose in his throat along with the blood in his mouth. It was obvious Older Brother was reveling in the anger and disgust Amaimon knew were uncharacteristically distorting his face into a scowl. Schooling his features back as best he could into a more unaffected expression (it was still hard to control the small muscles of his face at times, but he was getting better), Amaimon paused another moment before settling on a response that would be neutral enough to not provoke Samael. "You want me to protect them? Humans?"

"Finally, something other than that dead fish face you always wear! Go ahead and make faces at me if you desire. Anything is better than that," Brother gestured grandly at him, acid dripping from his back-handed praise in an attempt to sting as harshly as if he'd slapped him instead. It didn't. And Amaimon would't fall for the potential bait Brother had left dangling in front of him, so he left his features blank, and allowed Samael to continue uninterrupted. "Think about it as helping me secure my first domain in what will be the new Assiah and lording your power over its inhabitants. I'm sure you'll have more demons to fight than you've ever dreamed of after the floodgates open."

Older Brother laughed and snapped his fingers, a steaming cup of tea on a saucer appeared in his hand, and he began filling it with spoonfuls of sugar from the bowl that had materialised on the desk. "You should be thanking me for the opportunity. It will be quite entertaining, I assure you."

"Yes, aniue," Amaimon replied shortly, before Brother decided to speak again. He hadn't agreed to come to Assiah for this. Blood? Yes. Protecting and mingling with humans? No. If the conversation continued in this manner, he would possibly be heading back to Limbo for a while, in excruciating pain. "Was there anything else?"

"Actually, yes, there is. I'm currently ferreting out a leak, which is why I need you to monitor things when I can't be there. Moriyama-san's situation in particular."

"What is she? A spy?" Amaimon found that hard to believe. The girl seemed clumsy and naive... although that would be a wonderful cover. She was very unassuming.

"Her? Goodness no," Samael brushed him off with a casual wave. "Haven't I told you? She's Take-san's granddaughter."

Amaimon was sure he hadn't told him much of anything about the girl. Everything he'd been told at this point, concerning the young humans his brother doted on, had been about Rin Okumura.

But why did that name sound familiar? Take…

He searched his memories. If both he and Samael knew her, she had to have something to do with Gehenna. And it had to be fairly recent given the age of the young girl he was having to follow, being the granddaughter. Come to think of it, the blonde did look similar to someone he'd met not long ago. It was around the time his old host body had been decaying.

Was Older Brother referring to the woman who'd been at the table when they had been discussing what to do about remedying their need to change hosts and the idea of cloning had been initiated? She had stood up to a table of of his brothers, including Lucifer and Iblis. He remembered a few of them had wanted to kill her for merely sitting amongst them as a mere mortal, even before she had spoken. She had risked her life exposing herself like that, being a Nephilim. Amaimon had only ever seen one of her kind before, but it had just been killed by Lucifer so he hadn't seen the creature in action.

Never before had those with mixed blood been welcome at their table, so it had been rather tense, but Samael had insisted on her presence. Astaroth in particular had been enraged and had to be restrained several times, if he recalled correctly. Amaimon was surprised she'd lived long enough after that to procreate. That had been almost one hundred years ago.

"Isn't she a mixed breed? The one from the summit you hosted?" Amaimon ventured, wondering if he was guessing correctly. There was nobody else coming to mind if he was wrong.

"Was," Older Brother corrected, sipping his tea. "And yes, Take was the Nephilim you met. She died suddenly last year. Regrettable. She was quite a woman. Very useful in many regards. Excellent taste in kimonos, too. Filled them out even better despite her small size." He snapped his fingers again, a double tier of pastries appearing in the spot the sugar bowl had been. "Scone?"

Amaimon's stomach growled in response belying his indifferent expression. It was always just a matter of time before Brother would bring out something sweet. First and foremost, he was hungry and a solution was at hand, and any ire that remained was put on a back-burner to simmer until later. He walked over and took two, thought better of it, and then grabbed a third after stuffing one he already held into his mouth.

So this young girl had some royal demon blood? That was mildly interesting, Nephilim being so rare.

Amaimon reached for another biscuit, having transferred both of his remaining ones into his left hand hand. The scones tasted wonderful. Cranberry. Drool seeped around the one between his fangs and slowly dripped onto aniue's desk while he considered what to do. Maybe he should put some into his pockets for later.

"Glutton. When I offered, I meant one." Samael pulled the trays of pastries away from Amaimon's reaching claws and glared at him as he brushed crumbs and spit off the polished desk with an embroidered napkin before continuing. "The girl, Shiemi Moriyama, seems to take after her grandmother. Quite a bit of raw, natural talent. She's done impressive things with her familiar in the short time she's been enrolled in cram school."

That's right… the girl had summoned her larval greenman to attack him in the hallway, but being an Earth demon, he'd been too afraid to comply and attack his king. It would had been rather pathetic had it found the gall to comply to its mistress's request. What would a little bean like that be able to do to him, anyway? At that age, they could normally only help delouse plants and keep the soil from drying out. What a worthless familiar.

"Unfortunately, she's the only one in the Moriyama household that shows any marked ability. I've been told that Nephilim powers don't always manifest in each individual, so far from the original source. The woman Shiemi-san calls mother, Mariko-san, has never exhibited prowess in anything other than business management… and being a fairly obstinate woman," he chuckled, shifting his eyes off to the side, looking at the small flower arrangement on his desk. "Shiemi-san was raised primarily by Take-san. Apparently the relationship between Shiemi-san and Mariko-san is rather strained, which is why she's taken the news rather well, all things considered."

Samael grabbed a scone of his own and placed it on the edge of his saucer, spreading a clean, freshly pressed napkin on his lap.

"Although I'm sure you saw it when you followed her, Moriyama-san has a magnificent garden here in True Cross Academy Town, which used to belong to her grandmother. They supply all of the flowers for my arrangements," Brother motioned flippantly through the air at the flowers on his desk, after swallowing a bite and sipping his tea, "and the herbs and supplies for the Exorcists, of course."

Amaimon jumped onto the short bookshelf near his brother's desk and perched there, adding a second scone to his still full mouth.

He had seen a large fenced in area up the stone steps that lead to what he had assumed was their house, but he hadn't bothered paying it much attention, and he shrugged. Who cared about human gardens. It was more that surprising aniue was being so forthcoming.

Samael finished his tea and scone, and when he was done, the cup, saucers, and napkins disappeared, as did the remaining pastries, leaving an immaculate desk. Mildly disappointed, Amaimon snorted. Brother really wasn't going to let him take any more to eat later.

"As you know, the three Grigori, the governing body of the True Cross Order, are comprised of representatives from each of the three Nephilim families. The Exorcists are simply enforcers of their leadership, including the Paladin," aniue began, and at Amaimon's truly blank stare (that had apparently been accurately read as him not knowing such information), Samael scoffed.

"Honestly? You didn't know? Do you follow anything that goes on in Assiah? One would imagine a Prince of Gehenna would know as much as he could about demon exterminators. I assume the expression 'living under a rock' would be entirely accurate for you."

"I will study it if you'd like, aniue," Amaimon promised.

He really didn't know much about it, and it would be best to learn more if Older Brother was going to continue to involve him in his endeavors. Amaimon only knew what had happened in the past, not what was currently going on. He wasn't interested in the politics, but dealing with aniue was turning out to be rather entertaining at the very least, despite the bitter taste of some of the things he was going to be asked to do in order to take part in them. He could only hope they would be worth it in the end. A colossal war was on the horizon and he didn't really feel like sitting on the sidelines this time. Father didn't seem to mind Amaimon being the go between, so, in turn, he must have approved him getting involved.

A tune that sounded like music from one of Brother's games filled the room, and Amaimon recognized it as being from Samael's phone. Rather convenient timing as he'd just finished his mid-morning snack, aniue excused himself from the room to answer it.

That left Amaimon to his thoughts again, but this time there were things to process instead of letting his mind wander.

Chewing the biscuits, Amaimon wondered how diluted the girl's blood was of there was still latent potential. How long did Nephilim live? The sole Ba'al with mortal descendants was Azazel, the King of Spirits, and Amaimon hadn't seen or heard much from him in centuries. He hadn't been in Gehenna, so he must have been lingering in Assiah somewhere, most likely in a sorry state if Father didn't even know where he was. He didn't want a new host and a majority of the samples for the cloning project had been taken from him. He'd stated he was willing to lose his form to allow humans a chance at survival and not to have to steal body after body. What a fool. Had he really wanted to help humans, he would have kept fighting for them. His Brother was powerful, and letting himself fade instead of killing one insignificant insect every few dozen years was utterly absurd.

The only other options were the the Sol, Armumhel, Emperor of the Void and Shemihaza, Emperor of Creation, and they hadn't bothered to get new hosts either after finding it too difficult to discover a mortal body that could contain them longer than a few years. The Emperors were immensely powerful, morse-so than the Princes, even Lucifer, but still far less than chichiue, and they had never dealt with Amaimon much, despite the Earth King's mild overlap in powers with Shemihaza. The last time he recalled hearing about them being in Assiah had been at least seven-hundred years ago.

Eldest Brother had been tremendously mad when the Sol had defected along with Azazel, and later Samael, to preserve humanity. Lucifer, Astaroth, and Beelzebub had taken it upon themselves to slaughter as many of the Nephilim as they could, but that was easier said than done when their powers had rivaled some of the strongest of the Princes of Gehenna. Father had found it all vastly entertaining and didn't interfere.

Amaimon had remained relatively neutral throughout it all and focused instead on trying to expand his power in Gehenna while his brothers fought in Assiah. He had seen Asaroth's struggle to retain a mortal form with how weak he was going up against his elder brothers and the Nephilim, and his hosts died or were exorcised endlessly. It had been pathetic. Amaimon hadn't felt the need to do the same, despite being almost as powerful as the King of Rot.

After the fighting had subsided in a relative stalemate, the Nephilim had virtually disappeared, having gone into seclusion supposedly to swell, but further dilute, their ranks. The need for legions of humans with 'divine' powers (as the humans had ironically called them) had tapered off into well-versed and well-armed Exorcists with centuries of decreased fighting.

As far as Amaimon knew, these days there weren't many left who had enough demon blood left in them to be Nephilim in anything other than name. The original Nephilim had been truly terrifying, despite being half human, which had surprised him upon meeting Youngest Brother, Rin. The true Son of Satan had had been anything but terrifying. He was starting to show potential, but his abilities were still unimpressive despite having the formidable power of Father's flames. It was laughable.

From what he'd seen, the girl, Shiemi, didn't even rank. Apparently, he was wrong in his estimation.

"Pardon the interruption. Urgent bushiness, and all of that," Aniue explained, coming back into the room. He stood in front of his desk, leaning against it. "Now, where were we?"

"Was Take one? A Girgori?"

"Indeed, she was," Samael nodded, crossing his legs. He took off his top hat and he began to casually flip by its brim. "Take-san allowed the research on clones to be done, but it was hidden from the Vatican on most other levels, including the other Grigori. We wouldn't have been able to conduct our lab work without the Order's wrath, had we not kept things quiet after seeking approval, which would have also destroyed centuries worth of effort on my part. She was integral to the process and the Order."

"I see," Amaimon nodded, thinking. "Who took her place?"

"I must admit," Brother kept flipping his hat, and it was almost hypnotic in rhythm, "that I, myself, am not sure how a successor is chosen, or if there are any others left in the bloodline apart from Moriyama-san and her mother. As Nephilim are so secretive, for obvious reasons, only they know. I could never get her to tell me those last pieces of information. Despite all she did to further our goals, and leaving me in the care of her own progeny, Take-san never trusted me fully. I wouldn't have respected her so much if she had."

The flipping stopped as Samael placed the hat on its side and rolled it up his arm. It was sent to his head with a quick bend and a flick once it had reached his elbow, landing perfectly in place. Amaimon wondered how long it had taken to aniue master that trick.

"Since Take-san's passing, I don't know anything about the one that took her place other than she is female. They have complicated wards and blessings imbued into their robes and hoods to prevent auras, scents, and other identifying characteristics from being revealed. The only thing visible is their lower face, and I'm not sure if what is shown is always genuine."

"Do you know of any other Nephilim, aniue, from the two other bloodlines?" Amaimon knew there was a high likelihood that he wouldn't get a reply. He'd already been told quite a bit of information. Aniue treasured knowledge above all else and he was sharing it freely right now. That generosity wouldn't last much longer, and there was no way he'd let Amaimon share said knowledge with anyone else. Most of his other brothers would literally kill to know where to find the girl and eliminate her, if just out of spite.

"Possibly," Samael replied smoothly, winking, "but we're discussing this one, in particular, aren't we? As I've mentioned, Moriyama-san is one of the last of her line, as far as I know. I only discovered Take by chance when I'd moved to Japan in the late 1800s. There was a small town near Kyoto that had an orphaned 'miracle child' who could make rice paddies grow with hardly any water and on infertile land during a famine. I, being the magnanimous being I am, saved her from a dull life as a shrine miko. It wasn't until later that I confirmed what she was, although I'd had my suspicions."

Amaimon remembered being in horrible pain throughout most of the the 1800s as his host body had struggled to maintain itself. He had most likely been the cause of the poor crops that happened across the world during the time along with numerous earthquakes; bitter and wrathful, he had inflicted it upon others though the very earth. Why should mortals be happy and healthy when he wasn't?

However, that girl, Take, had forced life to appear where it shouldn't have been possible, even more impressive if it counteracted his own powers over the earth. If that were the case, he was betting the other girl, Shiemi, was a relation of Shemihaza if she had an affinity towards plants and nurturing life like her grandmother. Perhaps he had been wrong in assuming she was as weak as she appeared. Amaimon mused what she'd be able to do if aniue felt she had untapped potential. It was most likely beyond that of a regular Exorcist, and he very much doubted aniue would let her exit the exorcism program. Her life had belonged to Brother before she'd even been born.

"So, she's one of Shemihaza-sama's kin?" Amaimon asked, and he received a small bow and a slow clap from Brother.

"Wonderful deduction skills, otouto!"

As always, there was no end to aniue's ridicule, but Amaimon brushed it aside. He stuffed the remaining biscuit in his mouth, trying to figure out where Samael was heading with this and hoping that the answer he was looking for would be mentioned. His curiosity had been sufficiently piqued. This was getting far more interesting than sitting in a class and watching from afar. But how to rile her up into using her powers without accidentally killing her first? That would definitely spoil things in a number of ways. Humans could live through a good maiming and still be useful, right?

Trying to curb his excitement at the potential for violence, Amaimon focused back on the conversation. "Does the girl know of her lineage?"

"No, she does not. I had made a blood pact with Take-san before she gave birth to her first child that wouldn't allow it to be disclosed to any offspring unless I was present. I couldn't have that information spread. That was the stipulation of her living here in True Cross, with me keeping her safe and guarding her secret. It would have passed to any future generation, as well."

Samael turned to face Amaimon fully and narrowed his eyes, "It goes without saying that if you reveal any of this to anyone, particularly our brothers, without my permission, I will kill you in a horrible fashion. Too much information is already being disseminated by those who would plot against me and the True Cross Order."

And there was the expected threat of death.

"Understood, aniue." Bringing his right hand to his mouth, Amaimon began chewing the claw on his thumb.

"That Mariko-san would mention her sister or the Illuminati instead of coming to me…" Older Bother mused quietly to himself. His gaze darkened further and he cast his eyes over the arrangement on his desk.

"Aniue?" Dispassionately, Amaimon looked as well. He noted that it was composed of seasonal paperwhites, anemone, white pine, dusty miller, juniper berries, and pine cones. Pretty enough, but they'd have been more lovely as they were found in nature. These must have been from the girl's garden, as Older Brother had mentioned.

Samael absently passed his hand over the mounded glass vase. The flowers and leaves wilting and dropping, the stems mouldered, then shriveled into the vase in the span of a second, before he waved the hand in the other direction, reversing the process. He appeared deep in thought, repeating the action a number of times. Minutes stretched on that way.

"So what does this mean, aniue?" Amaimon asked, reminding Samael that he was still there.

The only other sound had been the ticking of clocks in Brother's office and his own claw-gnawing. Amaimon knew aniue hated both the sight and the sound, but he couldn't help it, especially when bored or anticipating something. Older Brother did things repetitively out of compulsion, but Amaimon hadn't ever dared to bring that to his attention.

"What would you have me do?" Amaimon pressed lightly when there was still no response.

Brother's hand did a final pass. This time, the flowers stayed dead, the pine cones opening fully and dropping their seeds.

"It means, _dear brother_ , that at the very least I might have a very pliant Grigori at my disposal," Samael smiled widely with a glow in his eyes that Amaimon usually only saw when his brother was basking in the perfection of otaku culture… or torturing him. "But if I play my cards right, she could become a very potent Exorcist, as well, if she can be... _convinced_ into staying. That's where you come into the picture."

* * *

Translation Notes:

Otouto - younger brother

Aniue - formal, "older brother"

Onii-sama - respectful term, "older bother"

Chichiue - formal, "father"

Otaku - japanese nerdy shut-in, usually male, who typically obsesses over anime/manga


	3. When it Rains, it Pours

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from Ao no Exorcist, which springs from the mind and hands of the wonderful Kazue Katou.

Author's Notes: Again, no names have been mentioned in the manga, so I've given Shiemi's mother's husband the name Kiyoshi.

Thank you so much to the reviewers. You have no idea how happy your comments made me! Really, thank you so very much! I personally like stories that seem plausible in accordance to the given material, and the Shiemi arc seemed to grind to a sudden halt. And seeing as my two favorite characters were the part of it... well, I couldn't let that be, now could I? I'm trying to keep it in tune with the current events of the manga as much as possible, but after chapter 96, I know there's mot likely going to be some divergence. Maybe... The Yukio storyline isn't really affected by this.

Oh, and I'm still looking for a beta reader!

Things will get livelier next chapter, I promise, with more Amaimon and Shiemi interacting. Speaking of, I feel like it's trudging along, and I'm not much of a natural writer, but there's so much going on behind the scenes as far as Shiemi's past goes that I'm trying to figure out where to stick it in and how much to reveal at once. So much standing around talking... Definitely a learning experience.

* * *

 **Coming into Bloom**

 _Chapter 3: When it Rains, it Pours_

The rest of Shiemi's school day was passing quickly, and despite how the morning had started, it had been relatively quiet following her encounter with Amaimon. He hadn't bothered to come back to class after having left, and while she'd continued to receive stares and heard people whispering things she couldn't quite make out, nobody had bothered her.

Regardless, she'd been anxious and jumpy, and she felt on the verge of panic the entire morning. It took all of her concentration to put on a facade of normality.

By lunch time, the panic seemed to subside and Shiemi joined her friends. Glad to have laughter and relatively happy faces around her, she enjoyed herself. Somehow, she managed to dodge all of their questions other than those she could answer truthfully and with a smile on her face. She didn't tell her friends about bizarre exchange she'd had with the Earth King, instead saying he showed up, then left before class began. They all would have been up-in-arms and the party would have been ruined before it even started.

Shiemi attempted to slip away from her friends after quickly finishing her bento and giving everyone her apologies for needing to cut their conversations short. Rin tried to stop her, seemingly worried after watching her inhale her food and decision to leave, but Koneko managed to pull him aside to discuss something that seemed important before her could reach her. Taking advantage of the distraction, she left the courtyard to check on Nii before the lunch break ended, feeling Rin's eyes on her retreating back.

There was no telling what they would have done had Shiemi had told them that she would be meeting with Amaimon privately the following morning, she mused as she walked. It would have been catastrophic and included storming into Chairman Mephisto's office demanding answers, at the very least. She was sure of that. She hadn't even filled out an exit form, nor had she talked with the headmaster about her decision, but she was almost certain he'd heard about it. That would have been immeasurably awkward on many, many levels.

Answers like why the headmaster and his brother had a sudden interest in her and what was going on with her private life… there was no way she could have explained it to her friends.

Walking along the shaded pathways toward the residential portion of the school, she made her way to Rin and Yukio's dorm. She passed the newer buildings and started across the high, stone walkway across which the older dorm was isolated.

Shiemi had never really paid much attention to the bridge when she had crossed it in the past, but it was very similar to the one that connected her own home to one of the many towers in the city. The bridge she'd been standing on when her mother had talked to her.

Her mother.

Shiemi allowed herself to became lost in thought, thinking back to that rainy night.

* * *

 _Shiemi was nervous but determined when she asked her mother for permission to take her exams and advance in her Exorcism studies. Okaa-san had strong reservations about the implications of becoming an Exorcist, and for a good reason. It was a dangerous profession._

 _Throughout her childhood, Shiemi had never questioned growing up without a father. She had asked where otou-san was once, when she was five. The angry tears and harsh glare her mother had directed at both her and her grandmother had surprised Shiemi. When the young girl had run over to hug her, she'd been stopped by her grandmother, and left to watch as her mother hurriedly turned and went to her own room, not to be seen for the rest of the evening._

 _Obaa-chan had explained that her father, Kiyoshi, the man Shiemi had only seen pictures of, had died months after she was born. She had been told that it was a workplace accident, which was true, but he had been an Exorcist. Shiemi had been inconsolable for the entire evening, hating that she had brought her mother to tears. The subject was never brought up again._

 _Despite working at the herbal shop and being the sole supplier of herbs, tinctures, and specialized munitions to the Japanese branch of the True Cross Order, Mariko Moriyama was always cooly polite to the Exorcists and never seemed to develop any actual friendships with them. Other than casual conversation when they would come into the store, she would work quietly and not speak until spoken to. She would always leave private matters out of conversations and if someone persisted, they would find themselves having to wait extra time for 'restocking' on their next orders._

 _Shiemi was surprised when she'd been allowed to strike up a conversation with Yukio when she first met him, even if she had shied away. She been introduced to Shirou Fujimoto and a few other Exorcists prior to that, but most of the time, okaa-san kept Shiemi separate from the clientele. Her mother had remained aloof when Yukio had started to come by and tutor Shiemi, always making herself scarce after chiding her daughter to mind her manners._

 _Now that she herself was going to become an Exorcist, Shiemi truly had no idea how her mother would respond. She had seemed to warm up to the idea, having genuinely appeared to like most of the Esquires, especially Rin and Izumo, whom she'd met. It seemed okaa-san was at least considering allowing it… although she had said there was to be a conditional conversation which hadn't occurred since it was mentioned earlier that afternoon. Her mother had been unusually quiet tonight which usually foreshadowed that a long conversation would happen soon._

 _"I guess there's no reason to delay this any further," okaa-san sighed after dinner._

 _Shiemi had been right —a serious discussion was coming— and a nervous knot tied itself in her stomach._

 _Her mother rose from the table once she had finished her tea and walked to the front of the shop. Toeing on her geta, she grabbed an umbrella from the stand next to the door. "Shiemi, would you mind coming with me? It hasn't started to rain yet and I'd like to enjoy the cool breeze. We can talk outside." As an afterthought she added, " I'll clear the table later."_

 _Without waiting for a response, the elder Moriyama went outside and left the door open in further invitation._

 _"Okay." Shiemi stood and went to the low counter near the register where Nii had been bathing in a saucer. "Want to come too, Nii-chan?"_

 _Her familiar chirruped happily and shook himself off after stepping out of the water, then he scrambled up her arm to perch on her shoulder, nuzzling her cheek. Grabbing her own shoes, Shiemi followed her mother outside._

 _Mariko Moriyama lead them out of their house and down the stone steps to long crosswalk. Heading out a ways onto the bridge itself, her mother finally stopped and pulled her pipe out of her obi, along with her ornate silver snuff box and a book of matches. Knocking out any old tobacco residue, she pinched in a new batch and lit it._

 _Shiemi watched and waited as her mother flicked the extinguished match off the bridge and tucked the snuff box back into its spot, and took a long pull from the pipe. Her mother held her breath, obviously gathering her thoughts, then allowed a stream of smoke to escape the side of her mouth, casting her gaze over the city below._

 _Shiemi did likewise. It was a beautiful view, one she had enjoyed any time she was allowed past the confines of their home and garden, which until recently had been rare. Just like time she spent alone with her mother._

 _Minutes passed and Shiemi enjoyed the tickle of Nii playing with strands of her hair as they danced in the breeze that was picking up in intensity. The rain would most likely start soon._

 _"You were always peculiar as a child," her mother finally began, "so quiet and scared of everything that was unfamiliar. You were so unlike myself… I know I hid my disdain poorly, and for that, I apologize. Much of my frustration and anger was misdirected. Things beyond my control had shaped our lives, and I let resentment seep into my relationship with you. I wasn't the guiding figure I should have been, and instead, you relied on obaa-chan. You were so much more like her, and the way you had such a deep bond…" Laughing softly, her eyes looked distant, almost like she was looking through Shiemi. "In a way, I was jealous."_

 _"But now, now you've finally made friends outside of that accursed garden. You've become a much stronger young woman, coming into your own in ways I never thought you would. To see you mature like this…" Shiemi was treated to the warmest smile had seen on her mother's face in months, "you have no idea how many times I've dreamt of you succeeding and finding your own way. Forging your own path._

 _"In recent times, I know I've been leaving you to mind the shop in my absence, as my increased supply trips have been calling me away. You've done well, both here and at school. I couldn't be more proud of all the responsibilities you've taken on and have handled admirably."_

 _Compliments were rare, but genuine, and Shiemi basked in the affection her mother was showing her. Perhaps this chat was going to go better than expected._

 _"I want to see you achieve your dreams, and I'll assist you as much as you'll let me," Mother continued, once again puffing on her pipe, "but I also wanted to be sure that becoming an Exorcist is really what you want. Not somebody else's aspirations. Your life will be in constant danger should you follow this path. There are other options… a world full of them, in fact."_

 _"It is!" Shiemi nodded ardently and she felt Nii-chan grab onto her hair in a desperate attempt not to be dislodged from her shoulder. "I've thought long and hard about this, and I know I can keep bettering myself and be the type of person I want to be if I continue with cram school. And nobody is making me to do this. They've encouraged me, of course, but nobody is forcing my hand. They accept me for who I am, faults and all, and I've been told I have so much potential as a Tamer and possibly as a Doctor! I'm learning so much right now! My friends make me so… so… so unbelievably happy. I know it comes with risks, but, okaa-san, it feels… right; like I was meant for this."_

 _"I see," the response came in a clipped tone, obviously displeased. "And you couldn't see yourself doing anything else?"_

 _"Well," Shiemi paused, taking in her mother's tight expression, unsure of what answer she was wanting to hear, "before I'd made up my mind, I always thought the supply shop would be my future. I would still see my friends and I'd still be helping them. But right now, that's not what I want."_

 _Mariko's brow creased again and her eyes flicked away. The conversation was souring far too quickly and Shiemi could almost feel her mother drawing back into herself._

 _"I could always come back to the shop in the future, when you want to retire," it was a weak consolation, and Shiemi knew it, "but right now, at this moment, I know I want to go through with this. I know you—"_

 _"Shiemi, stop. Please." Mariko snapped her head toward her daughter, brow furrowed. "I do not appreciate lies and I do not need coddling."_

 _Shiemi let the plea die on her lips._

 _"For years, I've debated whether or not to tell you this," her mother began, lightly rolling her kiseru* between her fingers. "I know now that I must. I suspect Mother might have mentioned it at one time, but Kiyoshi died while on a possession case with the exorcism of a high-level demon. He succumbed to injuries while trying to save my half-sister."_

 _"Father? Obaa-chan had mentioned he was involved in an accident, but never went into what happened. He must have been very brave. I'm so sorry, okaa-san," Shiemi gasped in shock, wanting to reach out and touch her mother's arm in comfort, but she thought better of it and wrung her hands instead. Not only was okaa-san going to openly talk about her father, but Shiemi had an aunt she'd never heard of before now… "But you mentioned a sister? I-I never knew you had siblings! Why did grandmother never mention her?"_

 _"Yes, and yes," came the curt reply, before the elder Moriyama excused herself for the terse answers and cleared her throat to try again. "Yes, he was courageous. And Maria, my half-sister, was eight years younger than me. Mother had a dalliance not long before my father passed away and she was the result. Our father never knew, and since Maria was conceived before he passed away, Mother wasn't accused of adultery, despite how she looked nothing like Father."_

 _Shiemi's eyes softened and she took a step closer to her mother, trying to urge her on without words. She longed to comfort her but wasn't sure if it would be accepted. This was just so… scandalous! Obaa-chan had had an affair? And a love-child?_

 _"Mother would never admit to it, but I knew she was hiding something, even at young age. You would never know to look at her, but she had many secrets, your grandmother._

 _"She was insistent on staying here in True Cross after everything that happened when Maria was possessed and Kiyoshi died. I wanted to leave all of this behind, but I had you to take care of and your grandmother was under contract with Mephisto-san to run the shop. I never knew I would get tangled into the world of demons and Exorcists as much as I have. It certainly wasn't by choice, but obligation."_

 _Spatters of rain began to hit the pale stone around them, and her mother opened her umbrella and motioned Shiemi to join her under it. With the wind being so frigid, Shiemi didn't really want to get wet, and she went to huddle next to her mother._

 _"Kiyoshi was a good man. He was very straightforward and honorable, and your grandmother butted heads with him often. He would never back down from an argument until he'd been proven wrong, beyond a shadow of a doubt," Mariko laughed gently, a twinkle in her dark eyes. "So stubborn, but so passionate. I still miss him dearly after fifteen years."_

 _"Are you sure you don't want to go back inside and talk there?" Shiemi asked as a particularly hard current of air ruffled their hair and sent a mist of droplets under the umbrella which buffeted in her mother's hand._

 _"I'd rather we stay out here," was the only response she got, while her mother collected herself._

 _Knowing Mother hated to be out in the rain, Shiemi was rather surprised at her insistence to stay outside so far from the shelter of their home, especially since it was hardly above freezing. Almost sensing her concern, the rain picked up pace and started coming down in gusting sheets._

 _"Are you sure, okaa-san?" The bottom of Shiemi's kimono was already getting soaked, as was her mother's._

 _"We won't be too much longer, I don't think, and we can warm ourselves inside when we're done."_

 _They stood there in silence for a few minutes, when suddenly, Mother lightly draped her arm around Shiemi's shoulders after switching hands with the umbrella. Surprising Shiemi further, Mariko rubbed her daughter's arm gently in a stilted but comforting fashion before her hand back down to her own side, mindful of the still lit kiseru. Her mother rarely touched her in such a manner. It was almost disconcerting, but Shiemi could understand why she did it in the present situation and appreciated it even more._

 _"You would have liked her —Maria, that is. She was so much like both you and your grandmother. Idealistic, vibrant, talented," Mariko huffed out a weak laugh. "You're the spitting image of her, you know? And you have your father's eyes."_

 _"I am?" Shiemi had always wondered where her straight blonde hair and green eyes had come from since her mother, and her grandmother when she had been younger, were both brunette with coarse hair that fell in waves and had dark eyes. She then frowned slightly, thinking of the few pictures around the home of her father. "But, okaa-san, otou-san had brown eyes."_

 _Her mother switched the umbrella and kiseru back to the hands they were originally held, and took a deep drag from her pipe and kept it roiling in her lungs it for a long time before forcefully exhaling it away from Shiemi. "Kiyoshi had brown eyes, yes."_

 _Not quite sure she was following, Shiemi cocked her head. If her father had green eyes and her Kiyoshi's had been brown… It started clicking into place. That could only mean—_

 _"Before you ask, no, I was never unfaithful to my husband," her mother said without malice. Sighing, Mariko seemed to brace herself further, tightening her grip on the handle of the umbrella. "There's no good way to say this, and I truly wish I never had to tell you, but I feel it's necessary at this point in your life... Shiemi, Kiyoshi wasn't your father—"_

 _"Then how—" Shiemi began, but her mother apparently wasn't done speaking, the sound of the rain almost drowning out what came next despite how close she was standing to her._

 _"—and I'm not your actual mother. Maria was."_

 _Shiemi felt her heart stutter, along with her brain, and the world started to fade for a few moments. It was as if time had stopped, or she perhaps was dying. Her ears started to buzz unpleasantly as everything started into motion again and she heard her mother call out her name and place a steadying hand on her shoulder, but everything sounded so distorted._

 _It was hard to understand much else that was being said at the moment, but slowly the ringing in her ears died down and she stepped out from the umbrella to let the rain cascade down on her. This was all just too much._

 _"Shiemi! Please, I know you're upset, but please… come back under the umbrella. It's freezing out here!"_

 _Shiemi didn't come back and Mariko didn't move to bring her closer._

 _"Your grandmother and I didn't tell you because we didn't want to hurt you."_

 _"Why lie to me?" Not trusting herself to look at her mother —her aunt— Shiemi felt the sting of tears building up behind her eyes. "Why… why tell me now?"_

 _Her mother stood there pensively, looking like she was trying to reorder her thoughts._

'Mother? Should I even call her that anymore? I honestly don't know. She is still my mother for all intents and purposes.'

 _"Maria brought you here one night after we hadn't seen her in months, and she was desperate for us to take you in, saying it wasn't safe for you to be with her, that she couldn't raise you. She, herself, was an Exorcist."_

 _"Exorcists can have children," was all Shiemi could manage to get out and focused on some arbitrary point in the darkness beyond the bridge, the intense deluge tapering off as quickly as it began. It didn't matter, she was already soaking wet. Her kimono felt heavy and Nii's brushing against her chin and neck tickled more than soothed._

 _So many lies. Everyone hid so much from everyone else. She'd never felt terribly close to her mother, but she loved her never-the-less. She always would. She was one of the wonderful women who had raised her, made her who she was. Even her grandmother, the person she had respected the most in the world, had lied to her._

 _The lies that hurt so much more than the truth._

 _"They can, but it's a high-risk job. There is a reason the roles traditionally go to those who remain unmarried. Mikos. Priests. Nuns." Mariko tapped out her pipe and let it cool as she spoke, her words measured._

 _Shiemi cast a quick look at the woman huddled under the umbrella but Mariko dropped her gaze upon seeing it, choosing instead focus her own eyes back toward the house, obviously lost in memories._

 _"But my husband surprised me. For how collected and reasonable Kiyoshi was —and being in a similar position— he accepted to take you into our home, as did Mother. Know this: he loved you, Shiemi. Kiyoshi was enamored the minute he saw you, and wouldn't budge on the issue despite my misgivings. He had been longing for children and I couldn't conceive. Mother was thrilled, and if I'm honest, although I was initially against it, I had always wanted a daughter of my own."_

 _The rain pelted down and Shiemi's skin started to feel numb, but warmth spread inside of her. Despite the lies, buried deep, there was still love. She held onto that seed of light and tried to nurture it so it would overcome her disbelief and sadness._

 _"Why did she have me only to give me away?" Surely there must have been a good reason, more than just being an Exorcist._

 _Mariko sighed and tucked her kiseru into her obi. "There's an organization called the Illuminati— I can't go into it much, but you've surely heard of them by now, with all that has been happening lately with your missions. Shortly after she gave birth to you, Maria..._ _she joined them."_

 _"B-but why would she do something like that?"_

 _"For your father, I assume. I'm not quite sure. I remember her telling me that they met a few years prior while he was working with scientists for a private group. It involved genetics, I believe. Maria had helped exorcise an infestation of ghouls that were plaguing them."_

 _"Oh…" Shiemi twisted on the hem of one of her sleeves. "And what was he like?"_

 _"I never actually met him, your father. Maria never said much about him since we rarely talked after she joined the Order. I recall her saying her was handsome and ambitious…" Mariko trailed off, seeming less sure about what to say. "She loved his green eyes and pale hair. She'd never come across someone who was as naturally fair as she was while living here in Japan. When he joined the Illuminati, she tagged along a few short months later._

 _"She was so much like you. Her abilities and her closeness with our mother made me resent her more than she could have ever known, as I've said," bitterness crept into Mariko's words and she failed at masking it. "Mother took it upon herself to become your shield. I tried so hard not to be let my spite bleed into how I raised you. I know I failed miserably at that. I want to change things, and I want what would be best for you. I don't want you to make the same mistakes we did."_

 _Shiemi felt her heart twinge further. Estranged sisters. It was too sad for words… and so reminiscent of Rin and Yukio._

 _"But why tell me now?" Shiemi couldn't hide how hurt she was, with the tears welling in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks to mix with the sprinkles still coming down, but she wasn't angry either. She just didn't have it in her to be angry about something she couldn't change._

 _"You're my daughter and the last of my family. I couldn't bear to lose you._

 _"Becoming an Exorcist puts you in immediate danger and exposes you to the outside world and those who would use and hurt you. I've held my tongue, far more often than not, but I just can't keep it to myself anymore. I overhear a lot through my suppliers and customers, both within the Japanese branch and in other countries, and Mephisto-san's apparent interest in Rin and the Esquires concerns me. There's just too much going on right now to be so focused on a group of teenagers when trained Exorcists should be more than capable of dealing with real issues. Only a handful of people know the truth about Maria, including him, and if others found out, the Illuminati could potentially try to recruit or use you due to your proximity to Rin or those who trust you could lose faith in you for what my sister has done._

 _"Maria..." Mariko shifted uncertainly, a tense expression on her face, "did things. I don't know the details, but her last known location was Inari. I know you had a mission there recently." A harsh glare was directed to Mephisto's mansion looming above the town. "A very reckless and dangerous mission not suited for children, like all of the ones you've been sent on, as far as I'm concerned. I'm almost sure the two are related, considering your father's line of work."_

 _Fear crept into Shiemi with those words and a feeling similar to what she'd felt with Amaimon crept over her. It couldn't be... Her mother and father had possibly taken part in the torture of those poor people._

 _"Please Shiemi, heed my advice; things are rapidly changing. You can make a huge difference and still help others without being on the the front lines. I'll even start letting you come on my trips and letting you know the secrets of the trade," Mariko entreated. "You are free to make up your own mind, but I couldn't let you make a decision without telling you the truth."_

 _There was another long pause while Shiemi attempted to process all that that had come clean in the cold winter rain. It was overwhelming, but this so much of her childhood and relationship with her mother and grandmother make more sense. In a way, she was seeing for the first time, having never known she was blind. But now, she had a dreadful feeling that she couldn't quite place. She felt more lost than ever._

 _"Yes, okaa-san, I'll keep everything you've said in mind," Shiemi said after much deliberation, watching Mariko's eyes light up at the matronly title, and Shiemi gave her a small, watery smile. She felt like she was lying, but what else could she say? She was shaken by this last bit of knowledge, about Inari, more than anything else. "For now, I won't go ahead with the exams, but I would like to at least continue going to cram school until then."_

 _"Of course." Her mother nodded and seemed to visibly relax at her answer and readjusted her umbrella, lightly shaking off rivulets of clinging water onto the stone behind her. "You're a good girl, Shiemi."_

 _Was there a chance she would come up against her parents if she became an Exorcist? Would she be able to fight against someone who she had never known but who had given her life? Who looked like her? How could her mother, whose personality was so much like her own, ever join something like the Illuminati?_

 _"Where are they now? Maria? My father? " Shiemi asked. She had so many more questions, but she knew these would have to be the last for now. There was just too much to absorb already and her mother was obviously wanting to go back inside at this point, having said her peace. But how? How could she stomach what she'd seen in Inari knowing her parents might have had a hand in it? What she, herself, had had to do in Inari? What had happened to all of those people? To Izumo? Why had nobody recognized her at the facility while the Esquires were there if she looked like her Maria? Those her mother couldn't answer._

 _Another fear suddenly hit her. Had Izumo met her birth mother?_

 _Nii-chan nuzzled Shiemi again, chirping in support, and she rubbed her chin gently against him in turn._

 _"I'm not sure about your father, but your mother…" Walking a step closer to her, Mariko laid a gentle hand on Shiemi's shoulder, and Shiemi covered the hand with her own, idlely marveling at its warmth in comparison to her wet and clammy skin. "From what I've been told, she died around five years ago" —the hand squeezed— "I'm sorry."_

 _When nothing more was said, the warmth was withdrawn, slipping from underneath Shiemi's fingers, and her mother turned to walk back toward the house._

 _"Please don't stay out here too much longer. I'll make some more tea and place a dry yukata on your bed for the night."_

 _Shiemi nodded and listened as her mother's geta clacking along the wet stone grew faint, and she was left cold and alone with her thoughts, and a silent but affectionate Nii-chan for company._

* * *

Pausing a moment to push back the pain that crept into her chest and quell the stinging in her eyes, Shiemi collected herself and moved toward the dorms. Now was not the time.

She'd been told more since then, and she knew she could move forward from this, even if the trajectory had changed somewhat. There was no going back and changing her past, so there was no point in dwelling on it. She would make the most of what she had to work with.

After a quick check on Nii-chan to see the how the Christmas tree was growing, she headed back for her afternoon classes. The remaining hours flew past and the next thing she knew, the school day was over. Before leaving the main building, she used one of the school's copiers - with the communication science assistant's help since she had no idea how to do it herself - and made copies of all the day's notes to give to Nori.

Stopping by her locker one last time, she changed her shoes and dressed herself in her scarf and jacket, and proceeded to the old boys' dorm. Shiemi tried to settle her still frazzled nerves with a deep breath, and pasted a smile onto her face. It was time to get ready for the party!

By the time she arrived, almost everyone else had too and they were marveling at the giant Nii-chan with the huge fir tree growing from his belly. She'd forgotten that not everyone had seen him in his larger size, and demurred their excited remarks saying it had been no troubled and that Nii had done all the hard work by growing it all day.

She was mildly surprised when everyone hung around to help decorate, and with all the laughter and chatter while setting everything up, she'd almost forgotten how stressed her morning. This afternoon and was turning out so amazingly! Everyone was laughing and smiling, even Yukio!

Before they'd even finished finished decorating the tree, Nii-chan had fallen asleep, exhausted. As it stood, they were almost done with the preparations. All that would be left was everyone getting dressed and bringing the food and presents.

Yukio excused himself, saying he needed to meet speak with Mephisto regarding last minute scheduling in the Order's Headquarters with the increase in demon sightings, but that he would return late, so the Esquires continued with the final decorations and last minute cleaning.

Within ten more minutes, they were wrapping things up.

The amicable atmosphere was shattered by an indignant screech. "What the hell? Are you trying to look up my skirt?!"

Everyone, including Shiemi who jumped at the loud cry, stopped what they had been doing to look toward the commotion.

There, squatting next to the ladder Izumo was standing on as she hung the last of her paper chains, was Shima. He had been reaching under the ladder with his head tilted slightly to avoid the brace holding the legs. The broom he had been sweeping with was propped up on the wall a few meters away.

Indeed, it looked suspicious.

"I'm pickin' up the tape you dropped, Izumo-chan!" Shima frantically declared. He rose up from his stooped position, waving the aforementioned tape dispenser as proof, and took a hasty step back from the fuming girl as she started down the ladder. "I swear, I wasn't lookin'! I'm innocent!"

"Innocent, my ass… Oi, get away from Kamiki!" Bon slammed the last of his remaining craft supplies into a cardboard box before he stalked his way over to presumably grab the teen's collar and haul him away by force.

"Shima-san, you never change," Konekomaru sighed, but it looked like he was fighting back a smile. He had to trot to keep up with Bon, placing a tempering hand on the other boy's shoulder in an effort to calm him before they reached their pink-haired wayward friend.

"I was just helpin' out, like everyone else!" Renzou wailed, trapped between Izumo, who was almost to the ground, and his friends from Kyoto who were closing in on him. The entire room was filled with skeptical or angry eyes when he peeked around, looking for an ally. "Doesn't anyone believe me?"

"No. You're untrustworthy… on every level," Bon ground out, finally reaching him, angered but not grabbing for him as Shiemi had expected. Bon had quite the temper and had been quite a bit more agitated since becoming Lewin Light's apprentice, but he was showing remarkable restraint. "Come on, spy, we're pretty much done here. Let's get cleaned up for the party."

"Are you always gonna hold bein' a spy against me?" Shima asked nobody in general, but the incredulous glances he received spoke volumes. Shiemi herself felt immensely awkward all of a sudden as Renzou's eyes locked with hers. Paranoid questions suddenly sprang into her mind as she frantically looked elsewhere.

 _ _'_ Does he know about my birth mother? Does he suspect me betraying the Order deciding not to be an Exorcist? Or worse, does he think I'll join the Illuminati, too?!'_ the fears Mariko had placed in her were taking hold with all because of a simple look. A prolonged look from a known spy. When talking about spies.

"Ha!" Bon scoffed. "Seriously? Are guys like you supposed to talk about bein' a spy all the time, or is that just you? Plus, we all _know_ you were lookin' up her skirt. The only thing we can trust you to do at this point is be a pervert. Even if you lie about everything else, at least be honest about _that._ "

"Yeah, it's your own fault we don't trust you." Blushing furiously and glaring daggers, Izumo walked over to him and snatched the dispenser out of Shima's hand, but she didn't move to strike him or do anything else, again surprising Shiemi. Muttering something under her breath, the former shrine maiden went back to the ladder and climbed two steps back up before stopping, and fixed cold eyes onto Shima. "Like I'm going to give you another chance to peek! Go away, idiot!"

Resigned to his fate, Renzou allowed himself to be lead away by Bon.

Koneko, trailing behind a bit, spoke for them saying,"We'll be back soon! Rin, did you want me to come with you to get the chicken and sushi?"

Rin shook his head and smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'll head out in a few minutes. I was just gonna check on the rest of the stuff to make sure we had everything, first. Pretty sure we got most of the food yesterday, except that."

Shiemi fidgeted as the three boys headed her way, where she was on her own ladder, and she warily pressed the hem of her skirt down against her thighs, sitting on the step behind her. She had always felt so exposed in the school uniforms and situations like these still caused modesty to overcome her and cover up out of habit. It was easy to forget how much could been seen sometimes.

Shima paused, glancing at her one last time as they passed and he pouted when he saw her guarded pose. "Ne, you don't trust me either, Shiemi-chan?"

"Umm…" She blushed at his familarity and instead looked over the trio's heads at Izumo to see how she was doing... anything to avoid answering him while trying to tamp down the dread that was now gripping her heart. She hated not giving him the benefit of the doubt, but with the treasonous thoughts were whirling in her head along with her concern for modesty, she couldn't articulate a better response.

"Keep walkin'!" Rin called, rushing over to Shiemi's aid —more than he would ever know— and she blushed a deeper shade of pink as he stood in front of her protectively.

Trying to compose herself a bit, she maintained her focus on Izumo, who was back on of the ladder and leaning against the upper rungs to press a last piece of tape onto the chain she'd been hanging prior to the disturbance.

The trio finally made their way to the double doors that lead out of the cafeteria, and Shiemi could have sworn she heard Shima poorly stifle a giggle when they exited. Casting one last look in their direction, she watched as he leaned down and appeared to whisper something to Koneko.

A small clatter came from across the room, and Shiemi turned back to Izumo just in time to see her cock her head quizzically, looking between the hand holding the tape Shima had given her and the object that had fallen from the top rung of the ladder. Watching the other girl as she quickly made her way down, bent over, and picked up another one, Shiemi saw the problem. Izumo now held a tape dispenser in each hand.

"Wait a second. Why that piece of—" Shrieking with renewed rage, Izumo chased after the Kyoto boys.

"Tch. I knew it," Rin scoffed, watching their figures heading past the cafeteria's windows, one moving more swiftly with intent on raining down her wrath upon a pink head. "He did peek."

Gasping, Shiemi looked at him. "You think so?"

"Why would she need two rolls of tape, dummy?" Rin chided her as he watched the spectacle playing out next to the last pane of windows in the corridor connecting the cafeteria to the foyer of the dorm.

She turned to watch, too, the anxiety over her ties to the Illuminati fading as the lively event taking place just outside made their current world of teenage woes take center stage. A muffled 'smack' follow by a startled yelp resounded in the hallway, and she could see Shima rubbing the back of his head while Bon started stomping further ahead of his two friends.

"Ugh!" they heard Izumo shout before her red face popped back into the doorway, her eyes glinting angrily. "I'm heading back to the dorms. If that" —she turned her head and shouted down the hallway, obviously hoping Shima heard her— " _JERK" —_ she turned back to them— "gets here before I do, tell him he doesn't get any cake!"

And with that, she took off in the opposite direction of the boys, heading to the side exit.

Alone now, Rin looked at Shiemi, then blushed as he saw that he was eye level with her legs and averted his gaze again. "I heard him whisper to Koneko that Izumo was…" he cleared his throat, embarrassed, "Shima knew what color she was wearing today."

"Color?" Shiemi mused, then her eyes widened as she caught on a half second later. "Oh!"

Shiemi had definitely made the right decision to shield herself from Shima's eyes as he had passed. Maybe she should approach Mephisto about seeing if there was a longer version of the skirt available. She'd always felt so exposed in her school uniform, despite its practicality over a kimono.

Actually, come to think of it… how had it been that the only two wearing skirts were chosen to be on the ladders to begin with? She couldn't remember who had suggested it, but come to think of it, it might have been Renzou.

Feeling awkward with the topic of conversation, which had died off, and suddenly being alone with Rin, Shiemi shifted her eyes to Nii-chan.

With all the noise, Shiemi was surprised when she found her familiar still sleeping peacefully on the floor. He looked so cute lying here with a glittering, brightly lit tree on him, but she couldn't help but feel the faintest bit guilty. She had never really used him in such a frivolous way before. She would make it up to him later… she just needed to figure out how.

"Hey, listen," Rin began, startling her out of her musing. She almost slipped off the ladder but he steadied her with a hand braced against her forearm, and she finally came down to stand near him. "Geeze, be careful!"

"Ah, sorry! Thank you!" she gushed, taking a small step back and pushing up the braces to fold the ladder. "I guess I was lost in my own thoughts."

"Let me do it," he offered, taking it from her. He folded it together and jogged with it under his arm over to Izumo's ladder before doing the same to it, and then carried them both into a small closet off to the side of the kitchen, placing them inside. In no time, he was next to her again.

 _'He's so thoughtful. I know he'd understand more than anyone about questionable parents, but I just can't…'_

She was starting to realise why the others kept some things hidden. It was embarrassing and painful to let certain truths come out. Not everything was so cut-and-dry as she'd once thought it was.

Rin rubbed the back of his neck while avoiding looking at her and tried to get out what he'd wanted to say earlier. "I know you told the guys that you were doing okay in class, but don't let that Uma— Amim— Amber…" he growled in frustration, "whatever stupid name that asshole is calling himself, get to you. If he threatened you and is the reason why you changed your mind, I'll kick his sorry a—"

Shiemi stopped him with a gentle smile, knowing where this was going. She didn't feel like souring the mood further by talking about it. "Rin, he's not the reason I'm quitting. I've told you all I can for now, but that's not it."

"Did he bother you again today?" he pushed. Rin's brows creased when she didn't respond immediately, his temper literally flaring up as pale blue flames danced along his arms and shoulders, the air stirring and heating around him. Who knew that blue could be such a warm color? "That asshole! He did, didn't he?!"

"A little, but Amaimon left before classes even started. I didn't see him after that," she said quickly, trying to ease the tension that was rising between them. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth, either.

Rin seemed to have sensed that she had omitted something when he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, the flames disappearing as quickly as they had arrived.

"Look, I already have to deal with Yukio not telling me things, so if something starts happening…" he glanced up at her face, deliberately making and holding eye contact, and she saw his tail twitch nervously behind him, "promise you'll tell me you if need help. With anything."

Biting her lip and twisting her hem in her hands, Shiemi nodded.

"Say it," Rin insisted, seeming a little less agitated, but crossing his arms in a resolute manner all the same. "Say you'll promise to tell me if you ever need help." His gaze softened before flicking away from hers, the bluster fading away into something far more timid. "I know you want… I know you just want to be friends," piercing blue eyes burned into her soul more than his flames ever had when he gained the courage to look at her again, "but I'll always be there for you. You know that, right?"

Shiemi couldn't explain why such caring words twisted her inside the way they did at that moment, her heart fluttering in an unusual manner, like a butterfly that had become trapped in her chest. Was this love? It wasn't the pleasant pattering "doki doki" the manga made it out to be, if it was.

Or was it guilt? That was far more likely the cause, and guilt implied she was doing something she knew was wrong.

Rin was so sensitive and sweet. She knew he was still hurting over her rejection, on top of her leaving the Esquires, and Shiemi tried to put the most genuine smile she could on her face, hoping it reached her eyes; that it would appease him. She also hoped that she'd not have to go back on her word again.

"I promise, Rin."

* * *

 **Translation Notes:**

Okaa-san/kaa-san - mother, mom

Obaa-san - grandmother

Otou-san - father

Kirseru - long smoking pipe

Also, posted at the end to not spoil anything: Props to those who know who I'm referring to with Shiemi's real mother (chapter 52 of the manga!). Pure speculation, but come on, just look at her character design and her sympathies to a girl who would be Shiemi's age! I couldn't help but assume something when I read that then got to the later chapters involving Shiemi, and thus, this story was born.


	4. So Familiar

Disclaimer: Kazue Kato owns all of the characters and I'm just playing with them.

Author's Notes: As always, I'm still looking for a beta reader! Really, please let me know if you're interested. Nothing much to say this time around, so on with the show!

* * *

 **Coming int Bloom**

 _Chapter 4: So Familiar_

Shiemi hadn't been sure she could relax and enjoy herself much when both Nii-chan and the tree had caught fire after he had rolled over in his sleep. All within less than a minute of her arriving in her Santa costume.

After the initial shock and putting out the blaze as best they could before Nii disappeared with a 'pop', her friends had laughed at the situation. Not understanding the humor in her daze, she had been confused. She knew she treated Nii-chan more like a friend than a familiar, unlike most tamers, but she was the only one who seemed more concerned about what had happened to him than the chaos and potential ruin of the party. And none of it seemed funny. At least Izumo agreed with her.

He had been burning alive while Bon and Rin attempted to put the fire out. Nii-chan had been panicking before going back to his own dimension… and then after making sure everyone was okay, her friends had started talking about food and costumes while trying to regroup and salvage the party. It had been surreal.

Shiemi had been fairly certain that Nii-chan was okay, but the unassuming attitude her friends had made her feel incredibly uneasy, even if it was unintentional. From what she'd been told, Izumo's byakko kitsune had suffered worse with Yamantaka's black, soul-burning flames after Shima had attacked them, and both the fox spirits had come back to her unharmed. Flames from Assiah would surely be a far more trivial injury, she assumed. But Nii-chan was a baby and she'd never let him get injured like this before.

Unaware of Shiemi's inner turmoil and most likely assuming she was just sad that all of her efforts on the party had been wasted, they tried to cheer her up, as well as Izumo on the unfortunate demise of her beloved cake. There was no salvaging that. The cake was a lost cause.

Deciding that the huge mess downstairs, along with the potent smell of charred tree, electrical wires, and plastic ornaments warranted a change of location, the Esquires had determined that the party was going to happen, regardless.

Now, Shiemi numbly followed suit.

They picked up as much as they could and headed upstairs to Yukio and Rin's dorm room, where they set the burner for the hotpot on the kotatsu and Rin mixed and re-seasoned the food they'd managed to save. Shiemi'd heard Koneko say something about something about a 'five-second-rule' not applying anymore since all of the food had been washed and was being reheated, so she trusted his judgment after Izumo questioned how safe it was to eat.

Not long after, Rin declared the hotpot ready, and it looked and smelled surprisingly tasty despite having been a bizarre mix that had been scattered across the floor not thirty minutes before. As soon as they were about to portion it out, the first of their as of yet unaccounted for guests started coming into the small room.

"Guten Abend!" Everyone jumped when an explosion of pink smoke and sparkles filled the air as Chairman Mephisto joined them with a bow, hovering over Yukio and Shima's shoulders.

"Ugh. Seriously?" Rin muttered, waving away the floral scented fumes that mingled disgustingly with the smell coming from the hotpot. "Who invited that guy?"

"Tsk, tsk! I saw the ruins downstairs. Okumura-kun, although the building is old and in less than pristine condition, I would appreciate you not trying to burn it down," the True Cross Academy director smirked at Rin from across the table while he was still bent over at the waist. "I also expect you to personally clean up the mess you made. Do I need to ask Kirigakure-sensei to have you work on your flame control again?"

"What- what the hell?!" Rin sputtered, his eyes challenging Mephisto. "There's a fire so automatically it's Rin's fault? Just so you know—"

"It was me," Shiemi's cheeks heated as she timidly spoke up, not wanting her friend to take the blame for her mistake or get himself into trouble for mouthing off. She first looked at the Esquires. "I invited him…" then turned bashful eyes to the headmaster, "and I'm the one who made the mess."

"Oh?" Caught off guard, Mephisto inclined a thin brow and shot her a look of wonder before he rose to a standing position. "I must say, Moriyama-san, I would never have guessed that you of all people could have caused such wanton destruction!"

"There was a small accident, Pheles-san, and Shiemi-san is hardly to blame," Yukio chimed in, trying to divert the attention that was now on her. "Rest assured, we will clean it up tomorrow."

Rin nodded in agreement with his twin, along with a number of the other Esquires. She knew they were trying to help, but...

 _'No! I don't need to be rescued!'_ Yes, it might have been an accident, and yes, she wasn't entirely to blame, but the whole tree thing had been her idea, and Nii-chan was her familiar. Therefore, she had to take the responsibility.

Forcing herself to look the headmaster in the eye and not wanting it to be swept under the rug, she squared her shoulders. "N-no, I'm to blame."

When she saw Konekomaru open his mouth to speak, Shiemi forged on before anyone else could stop her.

"It was me! It happened when... Well, you see, we wanted it —the party, I mean— to be festive." Words melted and flowed together in whirling streams and she futilely grasped at them but they slipped by anyway began pouring out of her mouth in disjointed bursts. "So then, I had Nii-chan grow a Christmas tree —which we had decorated with lights and everything— and he had been chirping happily as he laid there, but then, when he rolled over in his sleep…" Shiemi trailed off, knowing she sounded ridiculous. "That's when the fire started."

Everyone was watching Mephisto for his reaction, and for a moment, he seemed to have none. The Esquires' eyes started flicking anxiously around the room. The boys, excluding Yukio who was rubbing his temple, were all hiding their grins with varying degrees of success wondering if the demon would think it was as funny as they had found it, when finally, it happened.

Shiemi jumped when the headmaster burst out laughing, an enormous, fanged grin splitting his face. It seemed that she and Izumo were the only ones who hadn't found it funny, and it was unnerving to see such an unabashed display of mirth from their chairman. The boys' smiles dimmed somewhat as well at the outburst, and disappeared entirely when the loud laughter went on longer than what would have been considered an appropriate length of time.

"And they say demons don't dream!" Mephisto all but howled.

Shiemi wasn't sure what he'd meant by that. Was he serious? Did demons not dream? And was that funny? Well, he would know, she supposed. She almost wanted to ask but decided against it.

After composing himself, Mephisto looked at her again. "I would imagine you will helping the with the cleaning, Moriyama-san?" he flashed her a knowing smile. "That is, assuming you are _free_ tomorrow?"

Shiemi pulled her Santa beard up closer to her nose, and, not for the first time that day, wished that she could disappear. He definitely knew what had happened between her and Amaimon that morning. Not that she was surprised, but knowing he knew…

Her eyes widened. _'Oh no! Does he also know about the lollipop? He knows about the lollipop! Agh, how utterly embarrassing! Food from some else's mouth is just like… like kissing!'_

At least, she imagined it was, having never actually been kissed. If anything, spit had been exchanged. With Amaimon.

Mortified, she realised she hadn't replied when he lifted an eyebrow, yet again, prompting her to answer, and she quickly dipped her head in a bow; partially to not see that smirk curl further and partially in genuine apology.

"O-of course, Pheles-san! I have something to do in the morning, and I don't know when I'll be free, but yes; I will help Rin and Yuki-chan. I'll also pay to recharge the fire extinguisher we had to use tonight."

"No need to be so contrite, my dear girl, mistakes happen. Don't worry about the paying for the fire extinguisher; that is what they are for, after all." Moving to set his top hat down on Yukio's bed, he paused and turned back to shoot a look at Rin. "Now, had you engulfed the whole cafeteria in an inferno, like what had happened with the training room, that would have been a different story. Even half a room is quite expensive to repair."

"You asshole, I was training, and you know it! I said I was sorry!" Incredulous and his tail lashing behind him, Rin looked ready to spring across the table at the tall demon. "And don't start acting so familiar with Shiemi."

"Nii-san…" Yukio warned, glaring at his brother. "Please mind your language… and stop hitting me with your tail!"

Mephisto leveled an unreadable expression at the half-demon, his twirl twitching. "I do not recall any apology."

"It was _implied_ ," Rin gritted out, daring to reach behind him and grab Kurikara off his bed.

Was he really going to draw the sword?

" _Nii-san!_ "

"Then perhaps I should have you pay for the damages. If you do not have the money, I am certain I can find other ways to have you repay," Mephisto said his voice dropping an octave, eyes glittering dangerously, but not looking particularly worried about Rin's implied threat. "Do you require another lesson in etiquette? I'd be more than willing to oblige. I am your headmaster and your older brother. You should speak to me as such."

"I bet you just used your magic or whatever to fix everything, anyway. You're too cheap to pay someone, Mr. Cup Noodles!" Flames began shimmering across Rin's body. "And don't call me your brother! As far as I'm concerned, you can go f—"

"Everyone, please!" Shiemi cried in alarm. This was not going as planned at all.

"Whoooooa!" Shima exclaimed. "It's gettin' kinda heavy in here." Looking for a diversion, he smiled at Izumo who was seated opposite of him. "So, Izumo-chan, what's your favorite color? I like pink. Does polka dot count as a color?"

"Oi!" — "Pervert!" Bon and Izumo interjected at the same time, the latter huffing angrily and crossing her arms. She then tucked her skirt further under her knees for good measure.

Bon continued aiming his anger at both Rin and Shima. "The hell is wrong with you two?"

Mephisto smiled again, his mood appearing to lighten immediately. "Now children, why don't we enjoy ourselves! You did say this was a party, didn't you?"

Reaching into his form-fitted jacket, several narrow slips of paper appeared in his hands adorned with the MepphyLand logo. Everyone's excitement died down when they found that they were coupons for one free ice cream and not entrance tickets.

Thankfully, Nemu Takara, Shura, and Lightning showed up in quick succession before another fight could ensue, with the Esquires shooting Shiemi questioning looks each time someone new arrived. She hadn't mentioned inviting anyone else. Even Yukio was surprised as he'd only known of the invitation to Mephisto.

Almost everyone she had invited now in attendance, the Esquires, and an inquisitive Kuro who had joined the table, finally ate their dinner. After they finished, the adults (apart from Shura who had eaten with them) took their turn, while the teens moved aside. That left the Esquires and Paku - who had shown up after all - to talk amongst themselves, play various card games, and trade the small gifts they'd brought.

Well, most everyone.

After eating and receiving his exchange present (and giving Shiemi his gift of a life-size woolen doll that looked like Nii-chan), Nemu and his ever present puppet stood up and left with a snarky, "Well, this has been boring. Catch you later, chumps."

Undaunted, Rin, Shima, and Shiemi called out a farewell, while Koneko and Bon glared.

Looking at the remarkably accurate figure in her hands, Shiemi smiled wistfully, blinking back tears since what had happened to her familiar earlier was still weighing on her. Maybe she could ask one of the more knowledgeable adults at the party about what happened to injured familiars?

"Aw, it looks just like your little peanut!" Izumo reached over and grabbed the doll out of her hands, turning it over and viewing the details. Shiemi smiled as she saw the other girl's eyes light up happily. When Izumo noticed, she handed it back with a surly frown, trying to hide her joy. "How lame. I bet he made it himself."

"Mm!" Shiemi's grin widened. "I like homemade presents!"

Time passed in a jovial manner, and after the chaperons finished their meal, she was assured by Lightning (after Bon had asked him to come talk to her) that the greenman was most likely fine, despite his young age, and he'd mend from any injury he had received while back in Gehenna. He had advised her that it would probably be best not to summon him for a day or two if he needed a bit of extra time to recuperate but that it was pointless to worry. As the renown tamer had casually stated, summoned demons would get used to being injured. They were tools to be used and meant to serve their masters. If they died… then so be it.

Shiemi had incredibly mixed emotions after talking to the Arc Knight. Had she stayed in the program to become an Exorcist as a Tamer, which she had planned on going for along with potentially a Doctor meister, would she shave become so callous herself? A tingle of fear had run through her. She couldn't ever seen herself changing so much that any life, especially an ally's, would come to mean so little to her.

The adults had proceeded to celebrate in their own fashion with alcohol, and Shiemi was able to get more into the holiday spirit as the night wore on. Choosing to focus on the joyous atmosphere, she tried to block any negative thoughts and bask in the laughter and the smiling faces around her.

She was left even more excited by the prospect of traveling to Kyoto the following week after Bon had received a phone call. They'd all be heading back to Kyoto for Juuzou and Mamushi's wedding, as well as New Year's Day, and she was really looking forward to it. After dealing with the Impure King, Kyoto had been wonderful, if not a little hurried, but this time they'd be going strictly for non-Exorcist reasons and would have a few days!

The two human adults had looked tipsy from the seemingly endless amounts of wine the headmaster kept summoning from… who knows where. Shiemi wondered if he called everything he summoned into existence or if they existed somewhere else and he just 'poofed' them there.

Not that Shiemi had seen many people inebriated, but Shura had rosy cheeks and a whole bottle sitting next to her. The redhead was all glittering eyes and loud laughter.

Lighting was more subdued, but still seemed to be enjoying himself. Shiemi couldn't hear much of what he and the other adults were saying, but she heard bits and pieces of him talking in less than professional ways about dealing with the current Paladin. He had his sylphs doing tricks before the night was over, feigning false modesty at the praise he received from most everyone, and she couldn't help but purse her lips at his showmanship.

In contrast to the two humans, Mephisto himself had rosy cheeks, but he never gave her the impression of having had too much, preferring to watch everyone else and throwing about witty remarks and sipping slowly from his glass.

Shiemi had seen him glancing at her a few of the times she happened to look over, and each time, she was happy that her hat and Santa beard helped hide the nervous blush that would form on her cheeks. While those occurrences left her uncomfortable, thankfully, it didn't cause the same bizarre feeling Amaimon had created since joining her class.

Then again, the fanged smile he'd sent her way the last time their gazes met felt less cheery than it had something else, much like when he'd asked if she would be in the boys' dormitory to help clean the following day. She couldn't quite put her finger on the word she would have used described it. It was past creepy but not at alarming… Well, maybe edging into 'alarming' territory.

It was almost ten at night when things started winding down.

Lightning was the first to leave after thanking them all for the food and 'booze', stating he needed to get back to his work, at which Suguro coarsely translated to everyone that his master meant he was going to sleep until the next afternoon. The Arc Knight had shrugged flippantly and, with a lazy smile, left the group.

Not long after that, Chairman Pheles had stood up, bowed deeply with a flourish of his arms, wished everyone a good night and wished every a memorable winter break. Then he'd disappeared with a puff of pink smoke… along with the rest of the wine, causing Shura to swear and declare that it was officially time for everyone to head home.

After a quick session of tidying up the remaining food and utensils, Rin and Yukio had told everyone not to worry about the rest of the mess, and that they would clean it up the following morning. Everyone trekked downstairs, into the wreckage of the cafeteria to throw and store things away, laughing at the huge scorch mark where Nii-chan had been laying surrounded by charred and melted debris. Lights and pennants lay across the tables where their strings had snapped, and looking up, there were trails of soot where the smoke had stained the ceiling tiles. It was definitely going to be a chore to clean.

Suddenly remembering, Shiemi rushed off to fetch her bag. She had brought the copied notes with her in the off chance Paku would come. By the time she came back, everyone had moved outside to say their goodbyes. Having handed the notes over to her grateful friend, she reached back into her bag and pulled out the small bottles filled with four leaf clovers for her friends. There was another round of questioning why she was quitting and asking if she was dying, but the party still ended on a fairly positive note.

While the it hadn't gone as planned, she would definitely have quite the memory. The scavenged potluck and the Merry Christmas/Birthday Eve party had been, overall, a success.

Between the lingering excitement from the party and dread over what was to come in the morning, Shiemi didn't get much sleep.

* * *

The next morning came for too soon, and while it was still dark outside, Shiemi knew she needed to get up. Dressing quickly in a heavy kimono, she headed to the main house to have some pickled daikon and rice porridge, but wound up picking at it more than eating it.

Giving up, she cleaned up her dishes.

It was time to go.

Steeling herself, she went to the front door and pulled out the inconspicuous bronze key. There was nothing about it that indicated where it would take her, and she was worried. Keys from Mephisto could probably lead… anywhere.

"Shiemi, I'll be out today."

Startled, the teen jolted and turned around, quickly allowing her longs sleeves to fall over the key, efficiently hiding it. She watched as her mother passed by the low counter and wall-shelves toward the entrance of the shop. She hadn't even heard her come downstairs.

"Was there anything you needed me to do?"

Eyeing her cooly, Mariko seemed to note her nervousness. "No, just mind the shop. There's an order to be picked up around noon, so be sure to have it ready. I've already compiled all of the supplies, mostly soothing herbs and a case of blessed ammunition, you just need to double check quantities before packaging it. I trust I can count on you?"

"Yes, okaa-san," Shiemi said. "I just need to run an errand, but I should be back within an hour or so."

 _'I hope…'_

"See that you are." Her mother came to stand next to her, put on her geta, and used her own key on the door. Shiemi wasn't positive, but it looked like it opened to a place in downtown True Cross Town. "I'll be home late this evening, so don't worry about setting a place for me at dinner. Take care."

And with that, her mother left the house.

The blonde sighed. Nothing had really changed in Mariko's demeanor since their talk, despite how she'd seemed happy with Shiemi's decision to leave cram school on that evening. Nothing more had been said about her new duties in the shop, and little else had been mentioned in regards to her past beyond a few details. It had only been a handful of days, but honestly, it seemed like everything important had been said… at least that's how Mariko felt in Shiemi's opinion. Hopefully that would change in the near future. Everything and nothing had changed at the same time.

But for now, she had a demon to meet. A very powerful demon. Alone.

Slipping on her shoes, Shiemi briefly considered summoning Nii-chan, but decided otherwise. Lightning had advised giving the young familiar time to heal, and she didn't want to hurt or inconvenience the greenman. She could do this herself. She was sure Amaimon wouldn't hurt her… or at least, that's what she kept trying to convince herself.

 _'He wouldn't, right?'_

He'd done little to convince her that he was an ally, but obviously Mephisto trusted him enough to do this. She wasn't sure if that was as comforting a thought as it should have been.

Taking one last deep breath, she walked the remaining distance to the door, placed the key into the lock, and, with a sense of determination, turned it. With a crisp click, the door opened and she stood there gaping at what she saw before her.

 _'I don't get it…'_ Shiemi was sure had used what she assumed was a portal key.

Leaning out with her head and shoulders, maintaining a firm grip on the door frame, she first cast her gaze to the right where she saw the top of the long, winding stairway leading down to the bridge that connected the tower in town to the one supporting their home.

To the left, she saw the green house and her own garden.

Shiemi briefly wondered if the key had worked properly, shut the door, and repeated the process two more times. Each time, she was greeted with the same result. She had never known Mephisto's keys to malfunction, but she'd only ever used the two she had until now. Could it be faulty? Or had Amaimon given her a regular key by mistake?

Shiemi was about to try the key for a fourth time when she noticed that something was glaringly off just as she was shutting the door. The sky was bathed in the light of the breaking dawn, but it was brighter than it should be this time of year at the current hour… and garden itself was full of late blooming flowers. Fall blossoms. All of which had since fallen and withered away.

"What on earth?"

Opening the door further after having pulled the key from the lock and tucking it into her obi, Shiemi glanced around. The heady scent of unfurling blooms and damp earth reached her nose. Sure enough, her senses weren't deceiving her. Instead of a winter scene with everything covered in mulch and straw or trussed up, the garden was bursting with autumnal color, but it was, without a doubt, the same space in which she had spent so much of her life.

Curious, she slowly stepped onto the porch, allowing the door to close behind her, and absorbed more of the details without venturing any further. This was the highest vantage point in the yard, after all.

The beds weren't the same as they'd been yesterday or even weeks ago. Some were filled with a smattering of recently planted flowers and herbs —small and green, the earth around them still looking recently turned and dark— plants that she knew had already matured. A camphor tree was missing and a newer irrigation channel was also absent, but it was all so incredibly familiar. So... bizarre.

Casting her eyes to the edge of the porch and past the stones steps leading down into the garden itself, she was surprised it wasn't the first thing she'd noticed upon stepping through the door. Standing a few meters out the tall, wooden trellis was erect and covered in bare grapevines, the fruit long-since picked.

They hadn't had that trellis or grapes since her grandmother had passed away the year before, and she felt something in her chest clench painfully.

Shiemi trembled. What was going on? Was this really her garden? It certainly looked like a previous incarnation of it, possibly from the past year by based on the layout of the beds and the trellis being present. Was that even possible? She knew Mephisto's keys could take you to a different location, but a different time? Had the key really taken her… to the _past_?

"Move. You're blocking the door."

Having momentarily forgotten who she was there to meet in her confusion, Shiemi jumped for the second time that morning and let out a small cry, pressing a hand to her chest and whirled around. Tottering on the edges of her geta, she managed to steady her footing in spite of herself… by latching onto a lapel of his tattered brown jacket with her free hand.

"Uh… ohayou?" she smiled weakly, trying to straighten herself.

Amaimon stood there in the doorway pointedly looking down at the hand still holding onto him before flicking his piercing gaze at her, a single corner of his mouth barely curling upward the only change in expression. That semi-sneer again. "Maybe I should just shove you out of the way; return the favor."

"I'm moving!" Quickly removing the offending hand, Shiemi took several small, awkward steps backward, once again almost falling over in her haste.

The demon snorted and walked past her while taking in the surroundings. "So... Where are we?"

Blinking rapidly at him, Shiemi didn't know what to say.

"This garden: is it yours?" he prompted.

"Um… yes? You mean… you didn't know where the key was taking us?"

"Nope." Placing his own key back into his pocket, Amaimon turned, appraising her. His eyes lingered on her chest an inappropriate amount of time, then her legs, and she suddenly felt self-conscious on top of everything else. "I like the other outfit better."

"W-well, this is what I wear at home." Warmth radiated from her face, indignation flaring along with it. She felt the urge to cover up but everything already was covered. And, apparently, that was his problem.

Not acknowledging her reply, he bypassed the stairs and jumped down to land next to the trellis, his attention focused on scanning the area. For a moment Shiemi simply stood there. This was really happening. She was here, possibly in the past... with Amaimon. Wanting to avoid as much of his ire as possible, she quickly made her way down the stairs and stood a good distance away from him.

Shiemi looked at the demon, but when he didn't say or do anything more, she felt the urge to fill the void with something. Going with what she had, she offered her theory. "I… I think this is my garden from last winter. Can Pheles-san make keys that take you to the past?"

"Aniue's the King of Time."

Biting her lip, Shiemi cocked her head. "So, that's a yes? We're in the past now?"

"A version of it." Amaimon shrugged.

He certainly wasn't divulging much, but she had been right! She couldn't help but be impressed. She had traveled to the past! So many amazing, if not sometimes scary things had happened in her life in such a short time. Unfortunately, her excitement and curiosity were being tempered by the Demon King accompanying her. Maybe she would have a chance to come here again on her own!

Inspecting the garden around her, everything seemed just as Shiemi remembered it, but upon further scrutiny, she noticed that things faded into a swirling, multicolored mist a meter or two beyond the warded fencing. The entirety of her house, the greenhouse, and the shed seemed to be present, but where the treeline started things became amorphous. Even the sky looked unusual without any source of direct light. Where the sun should have been —there was little to block the view with how high her house was above the rest of the town— only a bright point in the hazy grey-blue sky was visible, as if everything was beyond a filter. The typical pinks, oranges and purples of dawn were missing, just like the clouds, but surprisingly, it didn't feel dreary.

 _'This is utterly amazing!'_

However… of all the places to send them, why here? What was so special about her garden? She loved it, certainly, but Mephisto?

Deciding the only way to find out was to ask, she voiced herself. "What exactly is this? Would— would you happen to know the reason he sent us here? "

"This is a preserved 'pocket' of time. Brother said it resets every day in a continuous loop, and it'll exist as long as he has a need for it. We're supposed to meet here. Everything else you have to figure out on your own. "

Not following, Shiemi spared him a wary glance as he casually headed in her direction, crossing the small channel between the sections that had been separating them. "But why do you need to be here? Does it have something to do with why you're in my classes now?"

"In a manner of speaking." The smile that worked its way across his face didn't look entirely friendly as he came to a rest uncomfortably close to her and started rocking back and forth on his heels. "I'm supposed to be encouragement. Something of a new instructor." His unnerving smile widened a smidgen more. "Aniue says I need to be more expressive, so I'll be practicing, too. "

Now she was really lost and really wishing that he'd stop grinning as it looked out of place on his face; too forced and rather demented. Although, she had to admit his teeth were rather nice: straight and white. And pointy. Rin's smile looked similar, but his was endearing and held warmth. Amaimon's didn't. It looked ominous. Or maybe that was intentional.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I— I don't quite understand. You're going to teach me?"

Snapping his fingers, a large hobgoblin suddenly appeared and she recognized it from the haltered collar encircling its round body as the one he'd had before, during the camping trip. It immediately started snuffling around his feet before noticing her and a menacing growl joined the baring of sharp teeth. It was tethered to a length of chain, but there was more than enough give in it for the squat demon to reach her. The small but muscular legs started to bunch, ready to spring.

Shiemi felt a surge of panic. She was about to get mauled!

"Behemoth," the chain clinked as Amaimon detached it from the harness, "play."

Tongue lolling out, the hobgoblin immediately stopped growling and began to roll around in the grass like a misshapen dog before bounding off to explore the area. Dirt and plants were sent flying as it foraged. It was quite the change in disposition.

Shiemi sighed in relief, thankful that the hobgoblin was well-trained even if not well-behaved.

The sun continued to creep into the sky in the pocket dimension. She could actually feel the chill in the air dissipating. Trying to ease her remaining tension, she smiled. "Everything feels so real here!"

"Everything is real. It's just set outside the normal flow of time."

"Oh." Her eyes continued to follow Behemoth as he tore up the garden before bringing them back to Amaimon. "So when the day resets, all of this will go back to how it was?"

"Already said that. Summon something," came the command. "Let's get the fun started."

 _'Fun for who?'_

She doubted he meant her. A nervous laugh tittered out of her as she admitted, "I can't. Nii-chan got hurt and I was told not to summon him."

"Nii-chan? You have a demon for an older brother? You summon him?"

"No! It's the sound he makes," she said sheepishly. Amaimon certainly knew how to make her feel small and stupid without even trying. "He's my greenman."

"Ah. Summon something else, then."

She pulled out one of the two paper summoning circles she'd brought along and flicked a corner up and down. "I've never summoned anything else."

"Aren't you a Tamer?"

"Well, not yet. I was going to study to be one." Flustered, Shiemi puckered her lips to one side and shifted on her feet. "I never learned how to summon anything specific. I just said whatever came to mind my the first time, and then, poof," she made a 'ta-da' gesture with her hands, "there was Nii-chan."

"So do it again."

"Like I said, I— Ahhhh!"

Behemoth rushed up to her at that time, trying to snatch the paper out of her hands, but she managed to pull it away a split second before his fangs took hold of it. Whining at a goodie being withheld, he tried one more time, and after she clumsily dodged again, Shiemi was left with a large, fresh set of holes in her kimono sleeve. A few ragged strips had fallen away from where he'd slid back down to the ground. Behemoth, himself, had already scampered off and torn into a large hydrangea.

Jeez! That had been close!

Breathing heavily and lamenting her ruined clothes, Shiemi was grateful that her arm hadn't inadvertently gotten caught between his jaws. She raised the torn fabric, just to be sure, and saw nothing but unblemished skin. Then, after thinking about it, she checked to see if her other summoning paper —which had been tucked into her sleeve— was still in tact. It was damp and was missing one of the corners, but the circle itself was undamaged.

Amaimon didn't seem to care that she'd almost lost an arm due to his pet, but he appeared to be getting impatient despite his impassive face. "Just summon something. _Anything_."

Shiemi crossed her arms sullenly and pouted, the tattered sleeve making it look more comical than anything else. "It wouldn't be as bad if I knew Nii-chan was okay. Would you happen to know if he'd be better by now? He was injured last night in a fire—"

"Otouto's flames?" he asked, interest bizarrely piqued.

"What? Um, no... just regular fire."

"Oh, so then why would that matter? For making me waste my time repeating myself, we'll up the ante." Amaimon moved forward and swiped the papers from her unassuming fingers, the unnerving smile making a comeback. "Now you get to do it without these!"

Feeling as frustrated as his hobgoblin had likely felt with her not handing them over, Amaimon held them away from her grasping hands, and she gasped as they disappeared in a puff of smoke. Realising how close in proximity they suddenly were, she took an alarmed step back, which proved to be futile as he closed the distance again, heedless of her discomfort.

"You'll lose more than paper if you keep me waiting much longer."

Shiemi blanched, not wanting to think about what exactly she could lose. "B-but I can't summon without a circle! Can't I at least draw one?"

"Nope. Hm. Don't most games start with a countdown? I'll go with... ten seconds."

"Please? It won't—"

"Nine."

"—take me long!" her eyes widened. He was serious!

"Eight."

"Nii-chan!" Shiemi heard rather than saw Behemoth situate himself behind her, effectively cutting off any hope of running away… not that she figured that would do much good.

"Seven." Amaimon continued his countdown and his fingers twitched menacingly. " Six."

"Nii-chan!" She had to believe she could do this. Surely it was possible! It had to be or he wouldn't expect her to do it, right? Or maybe he expected the impossible and was just tormenting her. She started to curl into herself, bringing her arms up to guard her chest and face.

 _'I need you, Nii!'_

"Five."

"Nii, please come!" Shiemi squeezed her eyes shut as Amaimon lifted his darkly-clawed hand, fear swelling within chest. Obviously he had no qualms about hurting her. Why was Nii not coming? Was he still too badly injured? Was it even possible without a circle?

"Four."

"Nii!" No matter what shape Nii-chan was in, she fervently prayed he would show up. She would do anything to make up for all that had happened if he would just come.

"Three."

Desperate, Shiemi tried to quickly pull herself together as best as she could and focus on the feeling and surge of power she'd felt when trying to save Izumo from the Impure King's fungus and when saving herself from the chimeric zombie while trapped in Inari.

"Two."

She opened her eyes again and forced her arms down to her sides. She had to believe Nii-chan would come. She had to be confident. That was the key.

"One!"

Feeling a tendril of power unfurl within her, she embraced it with all of her being, and she heard a familiar implosion of air. Before she could focus completely on the claws lunging toward her, she was propelled upward, cradled in a leafy embrace. A roar of pain came from the chest behind her as the strike that was meant for her had most likely landed on the over-sized greeman's legs.

"No! Nii-chan!"

As quickly as she'd shot up, she was falling down along with her familiar and covered her head. Her right side collided roughly with the ground, hip first, and she let out her own cry of pain.

She hadn't had time to see what state Nii-chan had been in, but even if he'd healed from the accident last night, he was injured again. Regardless, fearing further attack and wanting to protect them any way she could, she needed to use Nii's abilities again. Wincing in pain and regret, she willed him to protect them both with tengu hornbeam branches. The air was filled with the creak of wood scraping and winding against wood as they erupted into existence around her and she opened her eyes, but could hardly see in the darkness. She could discern that they had formed a cocoon around her... but not around Nii-chan himself. She was alone in the enclosure.

"No! No! Nii-chan! Noooo!" All sound was muffled and she had no idea what was going on outside of her protective sphere, but she could feel the reverberations all around her as something shredded into the wood. The brief surge of confidence she had felt melted back into crippling fear. The Earth King was going to kill her familiar and possibly her.

"Amaimon, please, stop! Don't hurt him! Please!" her panicked cries sounded odd within the confined space; loud but partially absorbed and quickly silenced. If she couldn't hear anything then she probably couldn't be heard, either, but she had to try.

Shiemi didn't have time to consider anything else. The entire ball let out a resounding 'crunch' before it erupted into large splinters that rapidly started to decompose into mulch in their descent through the air. Shielding herself once more during the shower of debris, she heard nothing but gentle pattering as what remained landed on the ground and herself.

Nii-chan was possibly dead, and now there was nothing to protect her. She felt empty and tears welled in her eyes. Why had she not told anyone? Why had she come? She couldn't help the rivulets that began to stream down her cheeks. There wouldn't be anyone coming to save her this time… nobody but Amaimon and Mephisto knew where she was.

It was all her fault!

"Oi, get up."

There was no strike of claws or... anything else. She hadn't known what to expect of the morning, but it certainly wasn't this. This was horrible. Amaimon said everything reset here… maybe that applied to everything that happened here as well? Maybe whatever had happened to Nii would reverse itself? She could only hope.

Shiemi yelped as he grabbed the back of her kimono and hauled her up to her feet. Her hip and side ached in protest. Her shoulder didn't feel much better.

"Why are you crying? You did it."

He was so heartless! How could he just ask her to get over what he had just done? Was she supposed to be proud that she'd managed to summon an injured Nii only for him to die? She looked frantically about, but she didn't see her familiar.

"Stop," he said, adding, "you look horrible."

Fighting back her tears, Shiemi knew she looked a mess: covered in wood chips, dust, and dirt, and her face was dripping with snot and tears. But she didn't care. She let out a large sniffle and wiped at her nose with her tattered sleeve, letting out a blubbery sound that didn't form words, and then tried again.

"Did… Did you kill Nii-chan?"

"Huh?" He tilted his head. "Oh, no. He left as soon as he picked you up. I didn't even have a chance to hit him."

Nii-chan was still alive!

 _'But I heard him cry out!'_

Startled, she looked at the impassive demon before her, who looked blurry through her tears which hadn't stemmed themselves just yet. "Why did he disappear? Did you send him away?"

"I wanted you to summon him, so why would I send him away? What would be the point in that?" He sounded genuinely perplexed with her question. "This isn't actually Assiah; we're in a completely separate dimension. Looks like you couldn't maintain the connection." Bringing his thumb to his mouth, he began gnawing on the long claw. "Hm. We'll need to work on that."

"So, we're in Gehenna?" alarm laced her voice.

Amaimon deliberated slowly. It seemed that he'd never considered where Mephisto's 'pockets,' or whatever they called, were really located before her asking. "Not really."

That answered nothing and offered the same amount of comfort. Although she couldn't expect much solace from him, that was glaringly obvious. Amaimon had actually attacked her and the only reason Nii had been spared was because she hadn't managed to keep him there.

"But we can get back using other keys?" Shiemi looked at him hopefully, trying to rally herself. Her tears had left paths in the grime on her face, and she could could see them out of her peripheral vision. She scrubbed at her face again, favoring her left arm.

"Or aniue can force us to leave. It's better when he doesn't, but the feeling of being ripped back into the flow of time is interesting. Have you ever been flipped inside out? Or had your skin stretched out then wrapped back around you too tightly?"

Aghast, Shiemi quickly shook her head. That seemed entirely unpleasant and she had no desire to experience any such sensation. Even if he was a demon, and a mean one at that, she honestly hoped he'd never suffered through either of those things actually happening.

"Your greenman… He was a lot larger than last time," Amaimon mused, changing topics. "Ever make him bigger than that?"

She watched him reach into a coat pocket and pull out a long piece of black licorice, much to Behemoth's delight if the way the squat demon raced over eagerly was an indicator. Amaimon patted his familiar's head and it settled on its quivering haunches.

"Maybe?" Shiemi didn't know exactly what had happened. She wasn't quite sure how large Nii had been, just that it had been a decent fall after he'd disappeared. Did it matter?

Apparently, that answer didn't suffice as the Earth King continued to look at her expectantly.

"I think I've gotten him a little larger. Like I said, I'm not sure." She shrugged with her good shoulder.

Trying to compose herself, and her thoughts, Shiemi tugged her clothes into place as best she could with one arm and rubbed her hip. She was definitely worse for wear and was glad she didn't have to face her mother after this. She'd have some bruises, and she still had to fulfill her promise to help clean up the mess at the boys' dorm… and run the shop.

Ugh. What a crummy day this was turning out to be. Had it really just started?

But for now, Nii was safe. That's what she'd focus on to get through... whatever this was. Then, once she got home, she'd take a bath. Maybe that would have to wait until after she helped with the dorm clean-up, but one way or another, she was going to have a nice, long soak today. She owed as much —and more— to Nii-chan, too, if he was up for it. Even if he'd been unharmed, she felt terribly guilty. For both last night and today.

"Yeah, but _how_ big?" Amaimon asked with more eagerness than she'd expected, drawing her out of her reverie. He, himself, seemed be ignoring the wet nose pressing impatiently into his stocking-clad legs and there was an unusual light in his eyes. Was he actually... impressed with her?

"What? Oh, around four meters, I guess. Why?"

"Meters? What is that in cubits?" Pulling another piece of black licorice out, he threw it far away for his hobgoblin to chase after and looked at her curiously.

"Cubit?" Shiemi returned, equally confused. Was that a real measurement?

He stuck his hands out a littler further than the width of his shoulders by way of explanation.

"Uh… I—I dunno. Eight, maybe?" she hazarded. Unsure if she was converting the unknown units correctly, she pointed to a young Japanese poplar that was still relatively short, just past the stretch of garden behind him. It was outside of the fence but close enough to be within the swirling boundary. "About as big as that poplar?"

He turned, spotting the tree she was referring to and regarded it thoughtfully.

"Huge for a greenman, but a waste of energy. You should learn to summon something better than that if you're gonna to fight someone." He rounded back and focussed on Shiemi again, putting one end of the candy into his mouth and tugged on it with his teeth, his head jerking to the side. He didn't seem to care that it had bits of lint and other pocket debris sticking to it. "Greenmen aren't good for that kind of thing. Even their defenses are limited."

"It's worked so far. I don't fight much. I usually help support and heal," she said softly. "I don't plan on becoming an Exorcist anymore, anyway. I was hoping to have Nii-chan stay around to help me garden and keep me company."

"So you were all talk the other day, huh? Thought as much."

Shiemi felt no urge to explain herself to him. She wouldn't even know what to say if she had.

He put the rest of the candy into his mouth and the portion that hung from his lips swayed around as he twisted his features and his head, peering around once more. "But you managed to summon something here. That's something."

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't sure if it would work."

Shiemi sputtered. He had expected the impossible? She shouldn't have been able to even get Nii-chan to come? On top of forcing her to do it without the aid of a summoning circle? Was this a joke?

Once again, things were interrupted by Amaimon's familiar as Behemoth ran back, stopped at the feet of his master and spat out the licorice. The hobgoblin issued a series of grunts and growls in what appeared to be disappointment. Blatantly showing he wasn't interested in the treat, the creature turned to kick dirt over the returned offering.

"Well, I like it." Amaimon crouched down, and pulled out the length that had been swaying between his lips, waving it in its face mockingly before he shoved the familiar away. "What did aniue say about wasting his food? Next time you get nothing."

Behemoth let out an airy whine and slowly shuffled off, resting in the shade of an oleander to chew on some leaves.

 _'He didn't want the candy, but he wanted to my summoning papers? And oleander?'_ Shiemi assumed he wouldn't be poisoned by them, but decided to kept an eye on the round demon all the same.

Back to the matter at hand...

"What do you mean you 'weren't sure it would work?' Didn't you—but, you summoned him!" she said, indicating the hobgoblin.

"I brought him with me."

Had he? She hadn't seen him.

"Then how did I manage to—"

Covering her mouth, Shiemi fought the urge to gag as Amaimon picked the licorice up and, without bothering to knock off the dirt and grass, forcefully coiled the large, slimy piece into his mouth, stuffing the remainder of his original strand in as well. His cheeks bulged grotesquely as he began to work on it.

He garbled something unintelligible around his mouthful and flecks fell from his lips in the process.

"What did you say? Wait, no," —he had opened his mouth to speak again— "please, tell me after you've swallowed."

She averted her eyes. Attempting to find something else, _anything_ else, to focus on as he chewed, she looked at the wood pulp and mulch scattered around them. It was a good thing this time pocket would reset itself. Between the hobgoblin and the shattered barrier's debris, the garden was a mess.

 _'Wait… the hornbeam.'_

He had said Nii had disappeared almost immediately after being summoned, but the branches hadn't appeared until after she hit the ground. So where had the protective cover come from?

"Well, let's try it again." Amaimon rose to his full height, licked his fingers and then brushed them off on his duster. "Summon something else. Ooh, I know! A naga! They're fast and vicious. Much better at fighting."

Again?! She had already pulled off one seemingly impossible feat, and now he expected another? And summon a naga? How did one summon a a naga? Had he not listened to her? Besides, she still needed answers.

"Wait!" Seeing his eyes narrow at her in irritation, Shiemi quickly continued. She had to know. "Where did the hornbeams come from if Nii-chan didn't make them?"

"The ground." His answer stated that it should have been obvious.

Biting her lip, Shiemi rubbed at her shoulder again. "I get that, but how did they grow?"

His eyes narrowed further until they were almost slits, looking as if he was questioning her intelligence.

"Was it you?" she hesitantly elaborated.

"Me?"

"So I wouldn't get hurt?" Maybe he had only been trying to scare her and had never intended to actually strike her? Shiemi knew she was grabbing at straws. It sounded ridiculous as soon as it left her mouth, but there was no other explanation.

The chuckle he let out shocked her more than it should have. His fangs glinting in the increasing light.

"Really?" The wicked gleam in his eyes echoed the sentiment of his laughter. "Brother wasn't kidding. You really are clueless. But I guess that's why I'm here!"

 _'What a jerk. He's already attacked both me and Nii-chan... and now he's insulting me!'_

Her nerves taxed, Shiemi set her mouth into a hard line and glared at him, losing her patience. He was such a bully, and not much of a teacher. "Well, if you would just tell me, then I'd know!"

He turned and walked further into the center of the garden. "This place should do well enough, I guess. Kinda small."

"Will you please answer me?"

"Haven't you figured it out yet, dummy?"

She huffed quietly in annoyance, muttering. "Obviously not…"

He threw an unreadable look over his shoulder before doing a languid stretch. "It was you."

She wasn't expecting that response.

"You called them into existence, just like how you summoned your familiar. If you managed to do it here, you've probably done it before. So, let's do it again! Just do it better this time. I wanna play, too."

 _'This is his idea of playing?'_

Shiemi felt as if her head were spinning and like she had been sucked into an alternate reality. Which, technically, as of this morning, she supposed she had been. But really, what on earth was going on? Was this garden more of a distortion of reality that he had let on and the normal rules didn't apply here? Summoning when she shouldn't be able to… without circles. Forcing barriers to grow on her own. But he thought she'd done it all before now?

 _'What is he expecting out of me? I'm not even going to be an Exorcist, and even when I was going to be, I wasn't able to do much.'_

This week was turning into an endless stream of unanswered questions and mass confusion. False mothers, Illuminati, dealing with Demon Kings, a change in her life's path, flaming Christmas trees, going into the past, 'calling things into existence' whatever that meant...

So much for a welcome winter break with her friends.

Shiemi drummed up her courage and walk as quickly as she could over to where the demon now stood, determined to pry some answers out of him somehow. "Would you please—"

"Wow. She got _old_ …" Amaimon was looking over Shiemi's shoulder, "and tiny. Do humans shrink?"

Shaking her head in confusion, she gaped at him. He seemed determined to keep her off-guard.

"Huh? W-what? Who got old? Someone else is here?!"

"Her."

Not sure if he was playing some sort of trick on her, she debated not turning around to follow his eyes as they tracked something, or rather, someone. Reluctantly, she sighed and allowed her curiosity to get the better of her.

There, hobbling out of the old gardening shed that Shiemi now called her own, was someone she hadn't seen in over a year and Shiemi felt weak in the knees. Again, her eyes began to sting with tears.

 _'Obaa-chan!'_


	5. Second Verse, Same as the First

Disclaimer: Kazue Katou owns everything from Ao no Exorcist, not me.

Author's Notes: Beta, Beta, Beta! Here, Beta!

As suggested by some reviews, I've gone back through and edited the chapter. Hopefully it flows a bit better now!

* * *

 **Coming into Bloom**

 _Chapter 5: Second Verse, Same as the First_

He hadn't lied; that Take woman had aged poorly.

The old Nephilim seemed to have shriveled quite a bit, in more ways than one, since the last time he'd seen her. He knew it probably had been almost a century, but she'd become a prune. He was glad to be dealing with the younger one. All-in-all, Shiemi was pleasant enough to look, even if she was scatterbrained and obscenely meek.

Amaimon sneered.

Case in point, said blonde stood there, eyes wide, tears welling up yet again as the wrinkly little woman headed ever-so-slowly toward the main house, checking on a plant here and there along her way, making what should have been a short journey last far longer than it should have been. It seemed Shiemi'd stopped functioning and he would have assumed she'd gone catatonic if not for the way she swayed unsteadily and occasional blinked, lips quivering pathetically before she covered them with a trembling hand.

What was with these Exorcists-in-training? First Rin in the hallway and now her. Freezing in shock was a sure-fire way to get taken by surprise and killed.

"Hey, you." No indication was given that the blonde had even heard him. Maybe baiting her would work. He attempted to smile maliciously, but his effort was wasted as she didn't tear hers eyes away from the woman. "You see a ghost or something?"

Nothing. Great, she was broken. What a huge disappointment it all would be if this is what he'd be dealing with the entire time. Who knew how many times they'd be forced to meet up.

Was this normal? He had half expected her to run after the old woman. Isn't that what humans did? Run up to long-lost relatives and throw their arms around them while crying and smiling in a bizarre manner?

Trying to kill time, and mildly curious, Amaimon looked between the two Nephilim. They were clearly related, but there were also stark differences, the largest being Shiemi's coloring. The shriveled crone had sun-darkened skin, what looked to be dark, rheumy eyes when her they opened wide enough to see them, and he seemed to recall her having dark wavy hair when he'd met her at the summit of Kings all those years ago. Even Take's daughter, the one who had raised Shiemi —Midori? Minako? Whatever, it didn't matter.— had darker features when he'd seen her on the bridge.

The girl had remarkably similar coloring to Lucifer-onii-sama. Knowing how Samael worked and how much effort he was putting into all of this, into cultivating his playthings, there was a good chance that that wasn't a coincidence.

Half a century ago, when he'd gone to to the hidden cloning facility to give samples and test for host candidates, he'd seen many failed versions of his brothers, and himself, all of them at various youthful stages in life. He hadn't cared about the chaff then, and he didn't much care now, but there must have been dozens upon dozens of leftovers that were functionally superior humans but otherwise failed experiments. Aniue wasn't magnanimous enough to grant freedom, so perhaps Samael had set them to use if they weren't put down.

Come to think of it, aniue said that Take had been working with him and supported the project in as far as turning a blind eye. Maybe the old bat who was shuffling along in front of him had been more involved than that. Something to do with Shemihaza, perhaps? It was possible. There would have been, what, two generations that Brother could have tampered with. Amaimon was interested in the present and not the past, but he knew that all of the later experiments had been modified to house more power than a normal human body was capable. A Nephilim that potentially had enhanced parents... what was aniue planning?

The Earth King searched his pockets for something to snack on while he waited for the teary-eyed girl came to grips with whatever was floating through her head. She'd better hurry this up. Amaimon was losing patience, and it thinned further when his pat-down turned up nothing but a single box of Pocky. He was positive he stocked up before coming. Sure enough, there was a significant hole in his coat pocket he'd somehow missed. His powers could only mend it so much before even that started to fail as nothing from the mortal world lasted forever. He almost wanted to see how much longer the duster could last, rotting away like a pumpkin, but the pockets would need to be fixed and relined manually at the very least.

"Hey, you have anything on you to eat? Cookies? Candy?" She didn't seem to have any pockets herself, so it was doubtful.

No response. He'd have to make his Pocky last... or hurry this up. He chose the latter.

As much as he hated these alternate dimensions, this one wasn't too bad so far, even with this new development. As soon as Brother had mentioned a timeloop, Amaimon immediately felt a sense of dread. Samael's dimension, Samael's rules. The only stipulations had been no serious bodily harm and don't kill her… well, that and don't tell her that she was potentially a Girgori who was descended from a being one step below chichiue himself. Samael wanted that honor. Amaimon was just here to play.

Whether Samael didn't trust Amaimon's self-restraint or hers —if she managed to do something destructive at all— a pocket dimension would prevent any permanent and costly damage as opposed to his encounters with Rin. And while this dimension wasn't able to be destroyed irreparably, Shiemi could be. That brief fall appeared to have injured her to some degree and he hadn't even touched her. So frail. How was he supposed to do this? Rin could take a beating, but this girl… He'd have to start using less physical methods. He knew Brother was monitoring everything they did while there and it irritated him. As if he wasn't already on enough of a leash. There was no way was going to mess things up to miss the Gates opening. But at the moment, Shiemi was trying her luck and his resolve to 'behave.'

He could practically taste the tangy mixture of grief and elation emanating from her petite form, and it was even more delicious than the sugary treat in his mouth. Even so, he'd much rather see her cowering in fear or, better yet, angry. She turned such a lovely shade of red.

"Oi! Wake up! You have until the time I finish my Pocky to get yourself together. Meaning..." he looked at the remaining cookies, "you have two sticks left."

The day that was cycling must have been important for Samael to have saved it, so he figured she was supposed to see or hear something. Amaimon wasn't going to sit around and wait for whatever it was to happen. She'd have to come back and do that on her own.

He crammed the last two into his mouth and poked her injured shoulder harshly, barely refraining from puncturing into the soft flesh beneath the fabric with his claw. The thought was sorely tempting. "Time's up!"

" _Ouch!_ " Shiemi swiftly came back to life and turned to him, her eyes glistening with tears. "Why did you do that?"

"I warned you."

"Th-that was my grandmother!"

Amaimon already knew that. He shrugged one shoulder. "And?"

"She… she…" the girl swallowed hard. "Obaa-chan died last year. This was her garden; her treasure. C-can I go see her? Just for a few minutes! I promise I'll come right back!"

"No."

"Please, I just want to—"

"You can't actually talk or do anything with her, you know."

"No, I didn't _know_ that. I've never been in a place like this before." Shiemi cast one last look full of longing toward the house before turning a defiant pout at him.

About to respond, Amaimon was briefly distracted as a bird that swooped into view from the haze above, pecked at the grass a few times then hopped into a tree. Aniue had kept pointless extras like birds within the loop? It chirped, went down and pecked at the ground again, the flew back off into the mist. Huh. Oh well, his choice.

Amaimon directed his attention back to Shiemi and scratched the nape of his neck. "What were we talking about? Oh, yeah… You could touch her, I guess, but nothing would happen."

"Just let me see her up close… please. It's been so long."

"You. Can't. Do. Anything. With. Her. What're you not understanding? She wouldn't react the way you think she will."

"But you said this place is real!" Shiemi insisted, throwing her arms wide, glaring at him as if them being here was all his fault. "If it is, then so is she!"

"It's all real, even her. Trust me."

"I— I'm going to see for myself." The girl turned around and was about to head to the house. That's what he wanted to see. That defiance; it ignited something in him. Too bad it was defiance over something so utterly stupid. "I'll be right back, I swear."

Nope, that wasn't going to happen. Testing his own abilities within the loop and to stop her from breaking away, he made several kudzu vines grow up from the earth to coil around her legs tightly and she immediately began to struggle against them.

"HEY!" He pivoted her with the vines and she wobbled unsteadily in an effort not to tumble over now that she was hobbled.

"You're not going anywhere near her. If you want more proof that things here are real, you have those." He pointed to to the kudzu.

Unhappy with her predicament, Shiemi reached down and testily snatched a small handful of leaves off a vine. Studying them in her hands, she brushed her fingers against one of the tall stems of purple flowers that had spouted along the vine, bending slightly and sniffing it. A smile smile played on her lips, despite her upset. She plucked the flower spike off, squeezing the blossoms firmly and opened her hand to examine the broken and bruised petals before letting everything flutter to the ground.

She seemed more appeased after her experiment but not still fully convinced. That was confirmed when she opened her mouth again. How dense could a person be?

"I... I don't get it. I could smell the garden as soon as we got here. I can feel these flowers and vines. I can see the sun's light changing and feel its warmth… if it's all real, then why can't talk to her?"

"This place is just a memory that can be temporarily manipulated, not changed. That thing is a meat puppet acting out the past. It follows a script and can't do anything else. Wanna try and talk to it? Do it on your own." Amaimon paused for a moment, considering, and allowed the vines around the teen to loosen and fall from her legs. "Well, technically, you could kill her if you wanted to, but that's about it. Want me to prove that, too?"

" _What?_ " Shiemi gasped, quickly stepping out of the fallen coils. "No!"

"You wanted to know what you could do to her. She'd be back the next day. It's not a big deal. She's just a copy of the original."

Shiemi gaped and shook her head slowly at him. "W-wh-why would you even say that? Why would I want to hurt someone I love? My family. I don't want to do something like— like _that_!"

"Huh? I'd kill my family if I had the chance. It's great stress-relief." Clearly this girl still assumed he was like his pathetically half-human otouto and intended to inflict her sentimentality on him. "Actually, I have."

"Uhh..." And there she went backing uncomfortably away from him again. As much as it amused Amaimon, it was getting old. He'd removed the vines too soon, it seemed.

"Oh, come on… I'm not gonna kill _you_ , moron." At least, he would try not to. No matter how bad the temptation might get. He hoped.

"Really? It seemed like you were trying to as soon as we got here." Her temper started to flare again, the color of her face doing the same. "And in the hallway. And in the forest— you, you were going to pull out my _eye_!"

"You're still alive, aren't you? And you still have both eyes?"

"Well…. yes. But, no thanks to you! I don't know what's going on right now other than you harassing me at school and trying to at least _scare_ me to death since coming here." She lost some of her gusto along the way but kept pushing, regardless. "So... so now what do we do? What do you want from me?"

"Brother wants me to see what you can do." How many times did this girl need things repeated? "And I don't wanna have you just play with your greenman."

"But why does Pheles-san want you to do that? I know Tamers are needed, but I'm nothing special. You said I summoned the branches after Nii-chan left, but that must have been an accident… or something to do with this place."

Amaimon wanted to send her to Samael and let him deal with the questions or just make her fight for her life and see what happened. This was tedious. He hadn't been advised on what exactly he was allowed to tell her, but a push in the right direction might speed this nonsense up so they could get back to the good part. He needed to know exactly where they stood and with what she knew, which obviously wasn't enough.

"What did that woman tell you?"

A puzzled look crossed her face, and Shiemi inclined her head. "Woman? You mean obaa-chan?"

"No, stupid, the other one. The one you call Mother. A few nights ago."

She seemed alarmed and for some reason she frantically glanced around before she whispering to him. "You know about that?"

"I saw you with her in the rain." Why was she acting so cautious? Who would overhear? They were the only two here that mattered, and he was being generous by including her in that tally.

"Kya! You spied on me?!"

"Ha! Don't flatter yourself, I'm not doing this by choice." Not entirely, anyway. "Well?"

Shiemi hesitated before responding. "She asked me not to become an Exorcist; that it was too dangerous and that she needed me for our supply shop."

"Okay. What else?"

"Why? Why are you asking when you seem to already know? You were there."

"Maybe I missed something."

Shiemi sighed and hugged herself, turning her head to watch the doors to the house, before mumbling under her breath.

He'd heard her, but that wasn't good enough. "Again. Louder."

"S-she told me she wasn't my mother. That I was her half-sister Maria's daughter. A half-sister okaa-san and obaa-chan had never mentioned." A moderately raised eyebrow was his only prompt and she caught on swiftly enough. "That, and my real mother and father were in the Illuminati before they… before they died. My mother, anyway."

"So? No other family secrets?"

"Other… other secrets? I just found out I've been lied to my whole life…"

"What happened to that spine you grew in the hallway? Humans give away their spawn and abandon their families all the time. Those 'secrets' are laughable and don't change anything."

"M-maybe to you, but— the Illuminati! My parents were probably evil! People won't trust me! Mother and grandmother must have never mentioned any of this for a reason! Nobody trusted Rin for a long time after they found out he was Satan's son, and nobody trusts Shima for being a double-agent for the Illuminati!"

"Evil?" Amaimon burst out cackling and his amusement grew when she startled. Really? She was hoping to alter Brother's plans over something so insignificant? How naive. She was comparing her parents, a Nephilim and a lowly human, to chichiue! She had no idea what evil truly was. And the child-spy for Lucifer-onii-sama… like any of that mattered! He'd assumed more had been revealed after he'd left.

"It's not funny!" she said in all earnestness, which made him laugh harder.

"You have no idea how ridiculous you sound," he barked out between guffaws, the underused muscles in his face twitching in protest. "Like aniue will let you leave over that!"

"Eh? _L-let_ me leave? Is that what this is about? You're bullying me into staying? Yuki-chan had said it was my choice to take the exams or not."

"Oh, it is a _choice_ , but your ' _Yuki-chan'_ knows nothing. Brother thinks you have too much potential to waste."

"Potential for what? You've mentioned that several times now, but you haven't told me anything." Sighing, Shiemi closed her eyes. "To be honest, I... I don't want to quit… not really, anyway. I was being truthful when I told you I wanted to become an Exorcist. I was finally starting to be happy in my new life outside of this home and this garden. I spent my entire life here… sheltered. Friendless. I never knew what I was missing until Rin and Yuki-chan came and… well, uprooted me."

She looked at him, smiling at wistfully before it fell into something more pensive again. "But there must be a bigger reason that okaa-san asked me not to, if Pheles-san doesn't think my —well, my parents' past— will be an issue. I just don't know what it could possibly be."

"Maybe you should ask her. Who's to say she's not telling you anything else that might be important."

"She would have told me!" He could see she was desperately trying to believe her conviction.

"Humans lie to everyone. Strangers, friends, family… themselves. She's already lied to you about your parents. Who knows what else she's hiding?" Amaimon rocked backed on his heels, a smirk coming through in his words if not his face.

"Demons lie, too—"

He shrugged. She had a point, but it didn't matter. He had a job to do and he hated all of this talking. Words weren't his specialty, and brute force would surely kill her all too quickly, so what could he do with her? He tapped a black claw against his teeth. He had to at least get her on the right path to form the questions that she could ask _someone else_. Anybody else.

Oh wait, she was still blathering on with her sob story.

"—they told us 'Never listen to them.' I learned that the hard way. Around this time last year." She froze for a second, deep in thought, and then looked back at the house looking like she was trying to hear something. "I met my first demon then. I might have died had mother not asked Yuki-chan for help. Doctors had no idea what was wrong."

Amaimon was caught off guard. There were wards on the gates. Had a higher level demon gotten in? The wards around around the garden and home were so incredibly strong that even the echo of them remained in this separate dimension. They must have been cast by Samael himself. That would also explain the boundaries of this pocket dimension. "You got possessed?"

She nodded shamefully, still watching the house. "That's how I got my mashou."

"Possessed by what?"

"A dekalp," she whispered.

He boggled. It hadn't been a high-level demon that had breached the barrier. It had been a pathetically low-level demon that easily could have slipped into the garden. At least she had the good sense to be ashamed. "You can't be serious."

"It was right after obaa-chan died and they promised to help me protect the garden when plants started dying. Nothing I did was working and I was desperate. I blamed myself for her death, and it was her favorite thing in the world… I couldn't let anything happen this place, so I agreed. I didn't think it was real and didn't understand what was actually happening."

He considered what she said. As weak as that type of demon was, human possession wasn't unheard of, and grief would definitely be a way in, especially if she spent all of her time in the garden. But that wasn't the important part. It was what happened after. "When the dekalp embedded itself into you, the garden came back to life? Things stopped dying?"

"Yes."

"And things kept getting better after it was exorcised?"

She nodded, smiling lightly. "Everything started becoming healthy and thriving like it had been when obaa-chan was alive. I was so happy. That's when I decided to join cram school, too."

The mashou had awakened something that had been dormant within her. That was good news, not necessarily unexpected, but good. It meant she was the one actively sustaining the garden. There were several species of plant that shouldn't have been able to grow in this climate, and things were far healthier and more vibrant than even in the best tended garden. He'd need to see its current state outside of the loop to be sure, but maybe she was already doing more than anticipated. Along with her display earlier, that gave him an idea. They'd stick with plants for now.

"Just so you know, that dekalp did nothing for the garden. They're nothing but energy leeches that kill plants and animals. Come on. We're gonna to try something."

"But everything got better!"

Amaimon ignored her, squatting down where he stood, and motioned for her to get closer. He was about to snap at her when moments passed and she didn't budge, but then she headed over cautiously and stopped an arms length away, off to his left.

"No, here. In front of me."

She shot him a dubious look but moved in front of him, maintaining the same distance. Gingerly lowering herself to her knees, she winced as her clothes added pressure to her sore hip and shoulder she'd been favoring in the new position.

Still pretty far away, but good enough. A little space would be necessary anyway.

"Okay, now, do what I do." Without warning, he grabbed her hands and placed them flat on the ground in front of them, jerking her over in the process and she cried out in protest. He felt her arms tense up when he kept his hands covering hers, moving her fingers together and aligning her forefingers and thumbs into a triangle. "Stay like this. Got it?"

Shiemi nodded silently. Her head was angled down and he couldn't see her face due to her hair, something she seemed to do intentionally to obscure his view, but he knew she most likely blushing furiously from his touch and she was practically bowed over.

"My blushing bride is prostrating herself before me. I like that."

"Stop calling me your bride!" Her head shot up, narrowing missing his, and her hair parted to reveal her face: brows furrowed, cheeks puffed up, and mouth pursed. It was a surprisingly ugly expression for a face like hers to make, and not in a good way.

"No." Amaimon gave her the malicious smile that she'd missed earlier.

Groaning in frustration, Shiemi said nothing else regarding his ongoing taunt. He knew it bothered her and brought back unpleasant memories —that was the whole point— but she was trying to put on a brave face. "W-what now?"

He released her and moved back a bit, assuming the same position despite not actually needing to command the earth or plant-life in such an undignified manner. Direct contact with the object being manipulated always made things easier, and with a novice like her… well, this was the best option.

"Now you gotta want to make something happen and channel yourself into it. Imagine it happening."

"Eh? Like what?"

Amaimon shrugged. Looking around for something simple, he spotted some dried out acanthus blooms a few beds away. He made a show of flicking his fingers and a large swirling cloud of seeds flew from the dried pods, and upon landing on the ground, sank themselves into the dirt. He put his hands back down in the position he had shown her and let his power trickle into them, willing them to grow. The seeds immediately began to sprout and buds of green unfurled from the ground. Within seconds, a number of mature plants were between them, their hooded flowers, a shade of off-white and _completely_ out of season, stood proudly on display.

Shiemi marveled at the sight. "Wow! They're… so pretty! Apart from seeing the vines earlier, I— I never imagined you could make something so beautiful!"

"Sure I can, but why would I?" He silently commanded the acanthus to die, and they did. Everything withered away until only seeds remained, which burrowed themselves into the ground as they had done before.

She huffed out a petulant sigh and her bangs flew upward. "Of course."

For good measure, he pointedly turned his gaze to the kudzu and after she did likewise, it shriveled into dust, too. He then panned his eyes around and, in split-seconds, everything in the surrounding beds had turned into something that could hardly even be considered compost. She looked shocked. "You asked for it with that comment. Your turn."

"You… you honestly expect _me_ to be able to do something like that?"

"Yes."

"Without Nii-chan?"

"You already did it without him earlier. You have him when you stopped the garden from dying?"

"No, I didn't summon him for the first time until later, after I'd started cram school."

He went back to covering her hands and he captured her eyes with his own in an unblinking stare.

Flustered, she quickly looked down at their joined hands and took a deep breath. "Fine! R-right. So… so I just need to imagine them growing?"

There was silence for half a minute. Nothing happened.

"Well?"

"I'm trying!" she breathed out, and he leaned down to see her face looking strained.

"Try harder."

"I"m _human_ , in case you've forgotten, and this… this isn't something humans can do."

Screw Brother. He could imagine Samael sitting in his office laughing at him. Just when Amaimon thought he was going to get somewhere with the girl, she sheltered herself by denying reality. It was probably intentional on aniue's part; depriving her of vital information to see what she would do on her own. If getting a simple mashou had awakened her dormant abilities, who knew what would happen with more exposure to her lineage.

He was almost tempted to try possessing her to see the extent of her body and abilities himself. He'd never had breasts before so that would be icing on the cake, but knowing aniue would _surely_ kill him for that, he decided not to. Besides, the adjustment period varied from body to body and a brief jump into hers when he probably wouldn't even be able to master it wasn't worth permanently losing his current one. He liked it and it was a hassle to find another, which had been the whole point of cloning in the first place. He still owed Brother for that.

Amaimon's hands were essentially tied and he had to work with what was available. As before, she needed more motivation. Fear for her life worked last time, but this time he'd make her fear for her modesty. Virtues were highly overrated.

"You're right. You're useless. Maybe you were right to quit."

Her face puffed up in anger again. How did she manage to make herself look so hideous so quickly? Despite the ugly turn her face had taken again, a beautiful spark began smoldering behind her eyes, but she was trying to bank it.

"A-and you're rude."

He scoffed. That was all she had? He wanted the ember to blaze into an inferno.

"Hmm. What to do with a worthless human wife? You agreed to be mine a while ago and nothing's happened." Amaimon patted her hands, still still crouching, and hopped a step closer.

"Please take your hands off of me… and don't call me that."

Instead, he slid his left hand slowly up her forearm, almost tenderly, and he reveled in the way she shuddered. "I heard your friends in the hall say you turned Rin down the other day… was that because you wanted to be loyal to me? Was that why you crushed his poor little heart?"

"Huh? No! T-that's not what— He— I…" she sputtered with embarrassment.

"I'm flattered! And to know that I've kept you waiting like that…" he feigned a what he hope looked like a contrite expression before eyeing her lips. "I still haven't given you that kiss I promised you, you know."

"What?! I…" Her mouth curled into a silent grimace of disgust, even as her cheeks brightened from pink to red and she cast her eyes off to the side, looking for an escape. "No! I would never k-kiss you."

She still hadn't moved away, he assumed out of confusion at his change of tactics, and to keep it that way, he used his right hand to pin both of hers down instead of just resting on top of them. That definitely ratcheted up her anxiety to fear.

"Whoever said it had to be willing?" Her panic continued its upward climb. Maybe it would be her first kiss? If he could rob both her and his stupid otouto of that, even better. Too bad he wasn't here to see it.

"You wouldn't!" Shiemi gasped and his languidly climbing hand shot to her face to make her look him at him directly, gripping her by the chin with his thumb and forefinger. She couldn't look away this time and her eyes hardened into a withering green glare. It was wonderful.

"Oh? Wouldn't I? I almost did once already." Had he truly been after her in such a manner, he certainly wouldn't stop at a kiss. Willing or otherwise, it had been such a long time, and he wouldn't have been opposed to a different type of fun. However, that wasn't what they were there for, nor did he think Brother would appreciate it. Still, the idea had merit, just as long as he didn't take things too far.

Shiemi flinched back from him as best she could while he held her face and her hands captive. She hadn't started crying yet but her breathing had picked up pace along with her heart rate. "Stop it!"

"If you're really rejecting me, my _bride_ , stop me yourself." He began to lean in, closing the distance ever so slowly, and her eyes widened in fear. She would learn how his games worked or she would suffer whatever consequences there were. It was all win-win for him. "Otherwise…"

"Nii-ch—Nn!"

Amaimon adjusted his grip and pinched either side of her cheeks together and forced her lips to pucker, cutting off her verbal summons. He'd already seen that, and while she needed work on maintaining a summons without a circle, he wanted to see something different… or at least more along the lines of the hornbeam branches.

"Ah ah! No greenman. Just the two of us!" He even drew closer. A panicked whine escaped through her nose, but nothing out of the ordinary happened around them; the tense atmosphere only being broken by Behemoth snoring loudly under the oleander. "You know what? Take your time, I'm gonna enjoy something out of this wasted morning. I take back what I said, worthless human wives _are_ good... for a few things."

He let go of her cheeks and tilted his head slightly when he was a hair's breadth away to avoid colliding noses. Her breath mingled with his, but he didn't make the last step. Prolonging her anxiety, he dug his claws into her fists and snaked his left hand into her hair. He pulled on the pale locks sharply so her head was tugged back as well. The virginal fear etched into her was lovely and aroused a number of things within him, and he almost didn't care if she didn't manage to do anything. This was fun, in and of itself. He wondered how sweet her lips would taste covered in her own blood. A little nip wouldn't kill her.

"You know, I wasn't lying when I said I wanted your eyes, but they weren't actually for my cousin," he admitted, examining their depths in admiration before she squeezed them shut. Amaimon pressed harder onto her hands —his claws dug in further, barely avoiding drawing blood— as he pulled her closer again with the hand that had remained behind her head. He brushed his nose against her own in mock-intimacy. "I would have kept them for myself. Such a lovely shade of green. Maybe later. But for now…"

"Get away from me!"

Just as his lips were reaching her own, he felt the air charge around them and in the next moment he was jerked up and away from her, and a needling pain exploded over his entire body. Something had started to grow around him, encasing him in its twisted heavily-thorned stems and dragging him upward before he could figure out exactly what it was. Another plant. He willed it to die, and the growth slowed substantially before seeming to stop altogether.

"Oooh, thorns! You're on the offensive, now!" He could feel the tough curved wooden barbs embedding themselves into his skin, but it was a minor irritation compared to the pain he'd suffered throughout his existence. This was similar to how she'd responded before, but so much better. She was attacking him. The look Shiemi was giving him was imbued with confusion but there, on full display, was self-righteous anger. It was exhilarating and Amaimon couldn't help the excited, wordless cheer that escaped his throat.

Suddenly, the thorny shrub surged higher as it resumed rapid its growth and bound him further. He could feel and smell his own blood as it began to seep from his wounds along with a strong citrus scent. Taken slightly off guard at her persistence, he once again exerted power into the bush to kill it.

This had taken far more effort than a thin defensive ball, and the plant was actively defying his will and embracing hers. The girl was actually trying to hurt him, even if subconsciously. It was an ineffective method, but those hard wooden thorns could seriously injure a lesser being with the speed and force they were crushing around him. She was doing something that would have been lethal to practically anyone else… he could just imagine her reaction when he told her.

The light filtering through to him started to dim and his view was obscured with the sheer number of branches that had grown, not just full of thorns but vibrant leaves and some sort of fruit as well. He forced himself through the hardy stems with little effort, destroying them completely. Within moments, he stood on the outer edge of the hole he'd made in the hedge, his wounds already mending while he surveyed her work up close.

It was a fully laden Japanese bitter-orange, but it was far more densely branched than normal. That explained the smell and the thorns. It was tall as he was well above the ground, but it wasn't terribly wide, hardly larger in circumference than the width of his arms spread to their furthest.

The plant began swaying when he deliberately rocked back and forth, compromising the weakened bush's already precarious stability and he laughed. Leaves and fruit began falling from it as its life finally started to sap away. The wickedly spiked branches at the base of the plant were becoming more brittle and unable to support both its cumbersome, shifting weight and his own, creaking and snapping loudly.

"London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down!"

He was about to leap to the ground, when the dying bitter-orange started trying to encase him yet again, this time feebly ensnaring his feet. That shocked him. Pausing, he remained in the miniature alcove he'd created, not bothered in the slightest that the towering plant was ready to topple over. He roughly yanked them free and it pursued him again.

"Hahaha! See?!" Amaimon whooped again. He regarded the sluggish growth with abundant curiosity. Far more tenacious than he'd anticipated. The new growth looked entirely out of place on the barren, greying remains. "I knew it would work! All you need is proper motivation."

"I can't believe— I— You…!"

He took in her state: Shiemi was shaking violently, bewildered at the sight before her. Had she not already been sitting, he imagined she would have collapsed with how she was sweating profusely and out of breath… but she had done it. She certainly wasn't human, at least not nearly as much as she thought she was.

"You…" She smacked her fists against her thighs. "You're absolutely horrible!"

"Mm," Amaimon agreed, grinning from ear to pointed ear. He plucked off one of the fuzzy fruits that had grown and managed to hang onto its branches. Biting into it, he spat it out almost immediately. He should have known better given the name of the plant. "Ugh, these are better as marmalade. Have you ever tried it?"

"I-I don't like you!" she told him fiercely, as if her saying that should have affected him in some way. Unfortunately for her, he didn't care. "I've never said that to anyone —well, only one other person, and I eventually took it back— but I _really_ don't like you. Don't you _ever_ touch me like…" she gestured wildly with her hands, "like that again!"

"Don't talk to me like you're my equal, girl," Amaimon informed her, easily freeing his legs again and dropping down in front of her. He landed crouching on his feet in much the same position he'd been in before being accosted by the plant.

The fire in her eyes and the energy positively thrumming around her was tantalizing. This was nothing like fighting with Rin, but he could get used to it. He really _was_ going to have a new playmate! She was definitely nicer to look at. Maybe if he ruined all of her kimonos she'd wear her school outfit. Aniue did a good job picking those out.

Shiemi narrowed her eyes at him but refused to move away from his close proximity this time, other than pulling her hands tighter to her chest. Her show of bravery was amusing, but she was hardly intimidating. "You know, there are better ways to do things. You don't have to try to kill me or… you know, do what you just did!"

"It worked, didn't it?" His smirk made her glare harder.

The decaying branches of her bitter-orange bent and snapped loudly as it began to fall, its root ball upending partially, grabbing both of their attentions. Shiemi screamed in fear as it started heading their direction, but Amaimon swatted it absently causing it to veer off to the side.

"Oh, calm dow— what the hell?" With one last burst of slow growth, it tried to expand outward and snare him while his hand was still in range. Thorns managed to find purchase in his arm stockings and coat, the mostly dead branches flaked and split as its decent continued, but it didn't have the strength left in its limbs to pull him along with it. He was impressed that the bush was still alive enough for her to continue controlling it.

"It doesn't know when to stop! Enough. Die already." Amaimon cackled with glee as the entirety of the shrub was sucked underground, effectively ending its futile pursuit.

"Determined, wasn't it?" he grinned, turning to her, and she seemed marginally dazed with his brilliantly cheerful attitude in light of what had just occurred.

He knew his skin was covered in a sheen of blood and his clothes had dozens upon dozens of new holes and dark stains from where he'd bled. This coat had possibly seen its last fight and he wasn't sure how much more it could be mended. Maybe he'd just stick to the new uniform jacket aniue had given him after all. For now, he'd leave all of the blood and torn cloth. He wanted her to see what she had done.

"Actually, it was _you_ who was determined. The plant was only doing what _you_ wanted it to do. You tried to hurt me. You made me bleed. Knocking me over in the hallway. Ignoring me in class. Now this? All over one measly kiss. Not as nice as you pretend to be, are you?" Knocking the remaining twigs and branches from his sleeves before raising an arm to lick the fresh blood off, he casually leaned toward Shiemi, all while regarding her intently. "Doesn't it feel good to hurt someone? You liked it, didn't you? You wanted to _kill_ me. You would have killed a human had you done that to them. Did you know that?"

"No! I would never! I'm not like you. I _am_ a nice. I— I just wanted you to stop." Realisation dawned in her eyes when she finally, truly took in his appearance. She shivered, the anger on her face melting into utter confusion and something else he couldn't identify. Maybe guilt.

"I didn't mean t— I… I've never done something like that before. Hurt someone like that, not really, I don't think. But then there was that time..." she faltered, turning inward, looking as if she was reliving something from her past.

Brother hadn't mentioned this and it was more than a little astonishing coming from her, in spite of his goading. "You killed someone?"

There was another long pause.

"They weren't— they weren't actually alive. I don't even know if they were human anymore…" She didn't elaborate and stood there for a few more moments in a doleful silence, shaking her head. "What's going on? How could I do that?"

He wasn't sure if she was referring to what she had done in the past or now. Actually, he wasn't sure she was even talking to him at all at this point.

Amaimon was about to potentially cross a line, but he figured aniue would be lenient. They'd made progress. And it hadn't _technically_ been in Samael's rules, as her _mother_ was the one who blood-bound not to mention it at all without being in aniue's presence. He'd only be bending what Brother had asked of him as long as he didn't state anything directly. It would require more talking, but she had earned some knowledge as far as he was concerned, especially if it would benefit their encounters in the future.

"Know what a Nephilim is?"

"No…" she hesitated, obviously not following his abrupt segue on top of being lost in her own thoughts. "What are they?"

"Demon-human offspring."

"Oh, so Izumo-chan is one? And Rin?" she perked up mildly. "I've never heard them being called that. I didn't know there was an actual name!"

"Tch. If you're referring to a pal of yours, then no. She's most likely a lowly, watered-down crossbreed," at the insult, Shiemi looked offended on behalf of her friend, "and Rin is something else entirely."

"Hey! Don't talk about Izumo-chan that way! She's a great tamer and she's a wonderful person who's been through a lot," the teen shot back at him while examining her wounded hands.

He looked, too. They'd never even bled, but deep impressions remained from his claws. They'd bruise.

Slowly, Shiemi turned her hands over, viewing her unblemished palms. She remained seated in the same half-sprawled position she'd been in since her attempt to scramble away from the falling hedge.

"But if it's not just any type, and Rin isn't a… a Nephilim?" when she didn't continue but flicked her eyes toward his, obviously looking for confirmation, Amaimon nodded curtly, "then what exactly makes someone one of those?"

"Being related to the demons that created the Order."

As soon as the words left his mouth the air seemed to pulse around him. It wasn't the same feeling as her energy, which was fizzling out and shrinking back into itself. It was one he was very familiar with. Heavy and incredibly powerful. Brother must have actively been watching them. Amaimon knew he was treading into a grey area since Samael wanted to control when and how she found out. If that was the case, he should have done it before sending him to deal with her, that's for sure.

"What?" she asked when he stood there staring at her while he contemplated his options.

Was aniue's anger worth it if it sped up their progress? He was about to find out.

Her dumbfounded expression was hilarious and overwrote her pensive features but Amaimon didn't react to it when he started to feel a chill creep down his spine, much like he knew she had felt when he done something similar to her in class. Like a chill was seeping into deep into the bones. But this was on an entirely different level. His fingers and toes reflexively curled in on themselves at the power that was enclosing itself around him, almost permeating his skin. It was suffocating and he began to fidget, shaking his tingling arms and legs out repeatedly, knowing it wouldn't help but doing it anyway.

"You said the Order was founded by demons?" Shiemi's voice brought him back.

"Huh? Yeah, the two Emperors and Azazel, King of Spirits. They all interbred with humans to help the world 'maintain a balance.'" Amaimon chewed on his thumbnail trying to alleviate some of his tension and walked around to make sure his feet hadn't completely lost sensation. "Don't they teach you anything in that cram school, or whatever?"

"We haven't been taught everything yet. Just the basic hierarchy and a simplified history."

He felt her eyes tracking him as he moved about.

Stopping next to an arched trellis that was covered in late season roses, he poked at booted toe at a pebble. He waited as it rolled up his leg before he grabbed it and turned it into a medium-sized boulder which he tossed through the air toward the house. Shiemi shouted in alarm but the huge rock shattered into sand before it reached the building. Pieces of the outer wall shuddered, cracking, and one window shattered at the impact of roughly a tonne of sand. The garden beneath the affected area was either coated or buried.

His powers were still working, but Amaimon could almost feel a tugging behind his navel, guts twisting around on themselves as a light ringing began in his ears. His head had also begun to ache and his skin crawl. He jumped up and down a few times, continuing to work his muscles fearing they would otherwise give out, and Amaimon briefly wondered if it was this painful for everyone or if Brother only made it uncomfortable and painful for him. He'd never known another person who had gone through it.

At any rate, it wouldn't be long now. The fabric of time was about to rip and pull him apart with it.

Eyeing him worriedly again, Shiemi stood to better see the mess he'd made. Nobody came out of the house to inspect the commotion, which didn't surprise him. He could tear it down to the foundations and whoever was inside wouldn't react.

She looked even more perplexed when Behemoth finally woke up from his nap and bolted toward him, snarling and in a panic. Before his familiar could even reach him, Amaimon had transfigured him and he was safely back on his key chain. The girl seemed unaffected other than her watching him with terrified suspicion after his own bizarre behavior and the hobgoblin's frantic reaction.

"Uh, is… is everything okay?"

"Yup."

She didn't look convinced at his answer, but went back to their conversation when he hurriedly motioned for her to continue as he started to bounce in place again. The was no way he was going to let his suffering be known by this girl. "Right. So, um, these Emperors: are they your brothers, too? I've never heard of them before."

"They're more powerful than us Kings, but less than chichiue. They don't have bodies anymore. There're just a few descendants —Nephilim— left and who can act on their behalf. They aren't average humans." He watched her, hoping she would piece things together before he was torn away. He was still there, as was the girl, but the pressure and pain was only intensifying. Normally the process of being forced back into reality would have been finished by this point. Was Brother not going to remove him after all?

"So if Samael is King of Time, you're King of Earth, and your brothers control other things, I assume the Emperors do too."

Amaimon could almost hear the gears turning in her head, clicking things into place while his own tried to maintain focus. His eardrums felt as if they were about to rupture and every bone in his body felt ready to shatter. He then realised that this slow, mounting pain was Older Brother warning him to stop. He was unsure of how to take that. Samael liked to cause undue amounts of pain for fun. Perhaps he wasn't that mad if he wasn't taking immediate action? Or maybe it was the opposite.

Regardless, Amaimon was going to press on.

"What do they control? The Emperors?"

"Armumahel is Emperor of the Void. He controls fear, apathy, destruction, and emptiness among other things. Then there's Shem—"

"Guten Morgen!" Samael's sudden arrival through a golden door that appeared in the space between himself and Shiemi in a puff of floral-scented smoke didn't startle Amaimon, per say, but the girl shrieked in complete surprise.

"Pheles-san! Uh, ohayou!"

Amaimon would have laughed at her nervous squeak had the situation been different. As it was, it was hard to make his body move and keep his thoughts coherent. As hastily as he could, he walked around the door to face Samael and saw Shiemi's ashen face before he looked at Brother, who was doffing his hat at her in greeting.

"Hello, aniue."

"Amaimon." The sub-zero look leveled at him melted as rapidly as it appeared and was replaced with a false smile for the girl.

"My, my! I see you two are having a secret rendezvous... forgive me for intruding!" Aniue winked at Shiemi, but Amaimon felt his guts jerk uncomfortably in an obvious warning. His skin tingled, feeling far too tight to the point he honestly thought it might split open. He was seconds away from being painfully ripped back into the regular flow of time. How so many humans fell Brother's fake niceties, Amaimon would never know. Then again, most people had never seen the real Samael.

"So, how are we this morning?" Brother sang out saccharinely when neither Amaimon nor Shiemi initiated a conversation. He looked around, appraising the garden and raised an eyebrow. Plant debris, mounds of sand, and torn up grass, as well as the large radius of empty bed where Amaimon had killed everything, ruined the otherwise pleasant aesthetics. "Looks a bit different than I remember it. What _have_ you two been doing? Is that blood?"

"I did what you asked me to, aniue."

Shiemi stood there silently, gingerly hugging her arms, looking like she wanted to disappear.

" _Oh_? And what would that be?" Samael inquired innocently, noting Shiemi's distress and her state of clothing along with Amaimon's own haggard and bloody appearance. Brother already knew everything that had taken place and this was all for show. "Have you been behaving yourself, Amaimon?"

"Yes, aniue. She's alive and well. This is all mine."

Brother focused his attention on Shiemi and she shifted uneasily. "Is that so, Moriyama-san? Did you happen to summon your little Nii-chan here? I do my best, but it's hard to maintain all the proper connections in a separate dimension sometimes— Oh, but I won't bore you with the details."

"I did manage to summon him, Pheles-san, b-but I couldn't keep him here."

"Really?!" Brother acted convincingly surprised. "I knew there was something special about you, Moriyama-san. Did anyone," he looked pointedly at the Earth King, "ever tell you that greenmen aren't a typical familiar? Which such few uses and being generally weak, I had never seen an Exorcist use one before you came along. And, my how you've used him… you've accomplished such a feats! After the Impure King and the incident at Inari, I knew that you had immense talent and that you were a keeper!"

She smiled weakly at the compliments, unsure of how to take them. "Um, thank you, sir."

"So, what happened to you?" Looking back over at Amaimon, Samael covered his mouth, hardly disguising his biting smile, but he managed not to laugh apart from a quick indelicate snort. "Was little Nii-chan not a loyal peon to his most esteemed King of Earth?"

"She did it on her own. It wasn't the familiar," Amaimon supplied shortly, less irritated that aniue had kept the stranglehold on him —which now felt like someone was trying to cave his head in along with the sensation of maggots or insects invading his skin, eating it alive— than in having to tell him everything he'd surely seen with his own eyes. He had been there as a guinea pig, yet again, and the way Brother was acting spoke volumes. Amaimon knew he was implying that he'd lost a fight to a green Nephilim. Bitter anger rose in him, but he was already in trouble and if he didn't control himself, it'd be far worse. "She manifested a plant and controlled it. It wouldn't stop attacking me until I buried it deep underground."

"Really?" Samael beamed happily at the girl and clapped his hands. A stiff-backed striped chair from his office appeared in front of him along with a small table of refreshments and two tea cups. "Perhaps I could have a demonstration later, Moriyama-san? After a little conversational break?"

"I— I'm not sure. I'm still not really clear about what's going on or how I managed to do it. There… there were," Shiemi's eyes went to Amaimon, "outside factors both times it happened."

"I take it you mean my _darling_ little brother."

She nodded.

"Well, I did send him here to help instruct you and convince you of your talents. I'm glad you made such spectacular use of him on your first try!"

"I started to tell her about the Emperors and Nephilim, but I didn't get to finish." Amaimon kept his seemingly unphased mask up but he couldn't hide all of his anger as the words flew out of him, filled with derision.

Brother always belittled him, but to debase him in front of _this girl_ in particular after all that she'd done to embarrass him in the past... Amaimon was still a Demon King and it was beyond forgivable. Older Brother was intentionally setting him up for failure by making him lead the blind. If only he could make aniue pay for his disrespect the way Amaimon always had to pay for his slights. He wanted Samael to feel the pain he was currently in but a thousand fold over. Even that might not be enough.

"I still think it'd be better to just _tell_ her."

"Do you, now?"

"Yes." Instead of aiming it Samael, Amaimon threw a furious glare at Shiemi. This was all her fault for being so dense and needing him to spell out exactly what to ask Brother. She prattled on easily enough with him, so there was no reason for her to clam up now. She wanted her answers and Samael had them, yet here she stood, doing nothing. She had to realise he knew _everything_. Trying not to wince as the pain somehow increased by leaps and bounds, he managed to grit out: "Hey, stupid. Ask him. He's here for you, not me. "

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. While it's true I need to have a conversation with this lovely young lady, I have a few choice things I would like to share with you as well, otouto. Perhaps in private?" Though the thinly veiled words were directed at him, aniue smiled congenially at Shiemi.

"For now, I think I'll talk to Moriyama-san alone. We have quite a lot to discuss, haven't we, my dear? And I'll inform the Okumura brothers that I've excused you from the clean up. It looks like you've had a rough morning." The King of Time gently motioned Shiemi over to the striped chair he was standing behind. "I hear you're wanting to quit cram school after a recent conservation with your mother? "

"Y-yes, Pheles-san. I think—" Shiemi crossed the short distance and visibly debated whether or not to sit in the expensive chair considering she was ragged and filthy, covered in dirt and grass stains, as well as bits of mulch that were now plastered to her sweaty skin. He tapped the backrest encouragingly and she sat. "I think that would be the best decision. I… I 'm sorry I haven't turned in my withdrawal papers yet. I'll do it right after the winter break."

"All in due time!" She pulled back as Samael leaned down and around the edge of the chair to speak, looming over her. "Did you know that I was very well acquainted with your grandmother? Such an amazing woman! Maybe we could start our conversation there. I'm sure I could tell you a few stories that would make you blush."

When Brother addressed him one last time, his sharp smile was filled with promises, and none of them pleasant. "I'll see you later, Amaimon."

He'd followed the rules and only stepped out of line on a matter that hadn't even been explicitly forbidden and he was still going to be punished. He had known it was a possibility. There had been a small chance that the prolonged pain of being pulled back into reality would have been his only punishment. A very small chance. But then he had opened his mouth and defied him directly, ensuring that he'd have to face Samael's wrath. Hopefully whatever aniue did wouldn't take too long to heal; Amaimon still had to deal with the after-effects what he knew was coming.

Sure enough, the pain magnified to the point that it overcame thought itself. Reality began to shift into a disjointed series of sensations. His body felt like it was being cleaved in two from the navel outward and forced though the head of a pin. Colors exploded behind his eyes before becoming nothing but a blinding white light. Amaimon gritted his teeth so hard he was sure they had cracked, but he didn't scream —or at least he thought he hadn't. It was hard for his brain to process anything at the moment other than insurmountable agony that seemed like it was stretching on for an eternity, which in aniue's case could have been a very real thing.

Everything culminated into a sudden void of sensation that was more jarring than anything he'd experienced in a very long while, and the world slipped away as Amaimon was removed from the garden.


	6. Nothing in this World Comes for Free

Disclaimer: Kazue Katou owns everything from Ao no Exorcist, not me.

Author's Notes: Thank you so, so much to my new beta Too Wicked for this World! I really appreciate your help!

Wow, chapter 98 of the manga was both intense and wonderful, wasn't it? I have no idea how much longer I can keep this fic adhering to what we know in canon, but I'll try to make it stay plausible as long as... Possible. Those two words in the same sentence look weird.

I can still make it work until that point, I think, but after... We'll see!

* * *

 **Coming into Bloom**

 _Chapter 6: Nothing in the World Comes for Free_

Despite Mephisto's smiles and relatively friendly banter, Shiemi wasn't feeling very comfortable sitting in the chair he had ushered her into just before Amaimon vanished from sight. It was just as hard as she'd remembered the furniture from his office to be. Surely something as nice as it was could be softer. Or maybe the chair was fine and it was simply the company she was in that made it less than pleasant.

Shiemi hadn't been the only one who didn't seem to appreciate Mephisto's sudden arrival. The Earth King had appeared anxious about something after he'd brought up Nephilim and the Emperors and it had appeared to have only worsened after his brother had joined them.

The new information was curious. Amaimon had been eager to tell her and frustrated that Mephisto had stopped him, which was odd. He didn't come across as a person who talked simply for the sake of talking, so it must have been very important to him, and he felt, for her to know as well if he was pressing for her to be told. And now, he was gone.

She didn't know what to think about that. Any of it.

"Would you like some refreshments? Tea? Biscuits?" Mephisto went to the small table and placed a few cookies that looked swirly and very thin on a very beautiful porcelain plate before pouring himself some tea in a matching cup.

The entire serving set looked ridiculously expensive and completely out of place in the garden, almost like one of those English tea parties. This certainly wasn't a party, but he seemed to be celebrating something with his generous invitation to the treats. He'd never offered more than monjayaki to them, and that had been served with bamboo chopsticks on paper plates. Everything about this seemed surreal, from earlier in the morning until now.

She still didn't have much of an appetite due to stress, but she wouldn't have minded a drink. "Tea would be very nice, thank you."

When he made no move to serve her, Shiemi took it upon herself, feeling sheepish that she'd even expected him to get it for her in the first place. She should have known better.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. My hands are full at the moment," he told her lifting the cup and the saucer of cookies higher by way of proof. "Where are my manners? One should always serve the guest first." He smiled. "Then again, seeing as this is your garden, perhaps I'm the guest?"

Shiemi didn't argue with his logic as to whether it was truly her garden or his. She had no idea. Besides, there was hardly a reason to make a fuss as she was perfectly fine serving herself. It was just slightly terrifying with the prospect of breaking his… it wasn't ceramic or porcelain. It was lighter. Finer.

 _'Bone china?!'_

Now she was triply nervous. She'd never even touched any before, but she was positive that's what this set was. Why did he insist on such finery for this meeting?

After carefully pouring herself some tea with her hands trembling only slightly, she returned to her seat with her cup and saucer and prayed that she wouldn't spill any of it on the expensive chair. Blowing a few times out of habit, she took a cautious sip. The blend was unfamiliar but delicious! Was there a hint of rose in it?

"This is wonderful!" Shiemi hoped she sounded less nervous than she felt. _'What a silly thing to say, of course he knows it's wonderful.'_

"Isn't it? I picked it and the cookies up the last time I was called to the Vatican. I love Japan and all of its delicious treats, but nothing beats buttery, European biscuits. Italian ones, in particular."

He remained standing, not far enough away for her tastes, looking for all the world to be casually enjoying his mid-morning snack… if it weren't for the fact that his eyes were trained on her. Shiemi wasn't sure if Amaimon's leer when he entered the garden made her feel more naked and exposed than this examination.

Actually, she knew. Despite both of the brothers taking their time appraising her, this look was scarier because it was far more intense. Those penetrating reptilian eyes were anything but relaxed and Shiemi felt like he was staring into her very soul.

Couldn't demons do that? Could _he_? Maybe he was!

Shiemi wished she hadn't thought that, because now she couldn't get it out of her head. She let her own eyes drop back to her tea cup in an effort to compose herself before she began fidgeting.

 _'Stop it, Shiemi. He can't see into your soul. He can't see into your soul.'_ It whirledthrough her head, non-stop. __'_ Please stop looking at me, Pheles-san!'_

"It's a shame your kimono was ruined, it has such a lovely floral pattern. The quality is rather nice as well; is it an antique?"

At his voice, she was forced to look at him again and was relieved that whatever he'd been searching for had either been found or he'd given up. The nervous din in her head died down a bit now that she needed to talk, but it remained chanting itself in the back of her mind. It was unnerving to be alone with him and be his sole focus. This was a first for her. She wouldn't go so far as to say she wanted Amaimon back, but someone else there would have been nice to ease her tensions.

"Yes, it was one of my favorites. Obaa-chan gave it to me for my thirteenth birthday, and it was hers when she was younger." She raised the ragged sleeve, happy to have a distraction. "I… I don't think I can mend it even if I managed to get the stains out."

There were unbound threads all along the tear and what looked to be a large portion of the fabric missing, the strips having finally fallen off. It had been bad idea to chose it for her meeting with Amaimon, but wearing it always lifted her spirits, like a part of her grandmother was still with her. How ironic that obaa-chan actually _was_ here with her. Well, kind of, anyway. Shiemi hadn't seen the elder Moriyama since she'd gone inside, and that had been a while ago. She sighed wistfully and dropped the fabric.

"Ah, yes, Take-san had many splendid kimonos. I knew I recognised it. You wore several of hers to school before you started coming in the standard uniform. While I understand how convenient the uniforms are, it was nice to see her traditional wear again."

How did he know? Shiemi had worn some of the old kimonos along with her own newer ones, but she'd rarely seen Mephisto, and certainly not every day. Had he really been monitoring them all that closely the whole time?

 _'Yeesh, so… disturbing!'_

But, despite how unnerving that was, this conversation had given her an opening to voice a question she had wanted to ask since arriving. Well, technically, she'd voiced it already to his brother, but now she had a chance to ask Mephisto directly.

"Pheles-san, about obaa-chan, " Shiemi hesitated, remembering how Amaimon had looked ready to throttle her over her desire to be near her grandmother again. What were the chances that Mephisto would brush her off as well? Probably very high. She doubted he'd gone through the effort of creating the space for her to simply come her and reminisce. "Would it be okay if I came here again? Visited, I mean."

"Of course! I had Amaimon give you a key for that very purpose. Come as often as you like." Shiemi tried to contain her joy as Mephisto's eyes flicked to the sky before giving her a curious smirk. "You've seen dawn, but you really should come back and see the sunset —sometime soon. It's quite the show, I assure you."

The sky was intriguing due to having light with a missing sun, but it was actually very plain to look at with its distinct lack of color. She didn't see how it could possibly compete with the beauty of a natural sunset or be spectacular enough to warrant a visit of its own, but if the headmaster felt it was something worth seeing, she would heed his advice. He would know, after all.

"Does the time here _always_ reflect the time in— "

He nodded before she could finish. "It does. The course of the day syncs with time in Assiah. I could alter it to be faster or slower, but there's hardly a point in doing so."

"I'll be sure to do that, then. Thank you." She meant it and she was sure her face reflected her sincerity. Some of her tension began melting away. "Thank you, very much!"

"Mmm." He was enjoying his own refreshments and she wasn't sure if that was a 'mm, you're welcome' or 'mmm, this is good!'

Oh well, it didn't matter. He'd already given her permission!

The trip for Juuzou and Mamushi's wedding was coming up, so using the key would be impossible until they came back the following week. The key could bring her here but she'd have no way to get back to Kyoto before the others noticed she was missing. But she desperately wanted see her grandmother again, to smell the mixture of earth and the distinct, warm fragrance of her skin. The scent of happiness. It had gotten easier, but she still missed it every day.

In any event, she had two days before they left for Kyoto. Maybe she would come back tonight, or tomorrow. Giddiness almost made her momentarily forget the real reason she was still there.

"So, apart from that," he made a wide-sweeping gesture toward her appearance, "I take it that you are relatively unscathed?"

"I… think I am. Amaimon wasn't gentle, but I'll be fine in a few days, thank you." Shiemi decided against actually going into detail about her injuries, instead warming her hands with the heat of the cup and thinking of the long, hot soak that was awaiting her and her sore body. It would happen sooner than later now that she didn't have to help clean up the mess from the party with the twins, but she would still swing by later to apologize and help out with anything else they might need.

Hopefully she wouldn't have any visible bruises, but even if she did, they were sure to be covered as long as she wore long sleeves. Those falls had hurt. If any of the Esquires saw wounds, she'd be forced to lie about how she got them, and she really didn't want to do that. She'd need to be careful on the trip and dressing around Izumo, too.

"Actually, I would say he was very gentle. You did quite the number to Amaimon," Mephisto briefly dipped biscuit into his tea then took a bite off with a fang, looking amused, "and he didn't retaliate! It seems he finally learned some restraint from the lessons I've been teaching him."

"...oh."

Shiemi tried to focus on what Mephisto said instead of what he hadn't: had it been up to Amaimon, he probably would have killed her. But, honestly, he'd seemed happy instead of mad that she'd hurt him, so maybe she was wrong. She didn't want to think about what Mephisto's lessons might have been, but was silently grateful for them. A nagging twinge of guilt pulled at her; Amaimon had probably suffered.

"Now then," having finished his own tea and with the cookies gone as well, he set his cup and saucer on the table and Mephisto turned and walked toward the patch of barren earth. Examining it for a few seconds, he regarded her with a touch of curiosity. "What happened here?"

"That was Amaimon." Shiemi sipped at her tea, embarrassed. It really _did_ taste good, she affirmed. "He was insulted by something I said."

Mephisto didn't seem to mind that she'd insulted his brother. "Can you regrow the plants?"

Puzzled, Shiemi didn't understand. Wasn't the garden going to mend itself when it reset?

"That's actually what he was trying to get me to do when he got mad... I mean, grow some new ones, not regrow. They were still alive until I complimented him on making something that was pretty."

"But you can?" He insisted, ignoring her rambling. "I'd like to see."

Hesitant, Shiemi slowly stood and walked over, setting her drink down on the table as she passed it. She hoped she'd get to finish it later.

"This is so much easier with Nii-chan," she admitted, assuming the position Amaimon had demonstrated. Knowing that she'd done it in the very recent past helped her get over some of her jitters, but she still didn't feel entirely confident. "I can't guarantee I'll be able to without him. Nii-chan, that is…" she quickly amended herself before she could be corrected by Mephisto, "even if I have before."

"Yes, having a conduit helps, especially if they are deeply connected to their masters. A type spiritual and mental link, I suppose you could say."

A conduit. Shiemi had never thought of it that way. Until today, she'd always assumed Nii had done all the work himself and she just provided the energy, like a battery. But that made more sense. He always knew which plants she wanted despite using the names she'd given them instead of their real ones. She had never considered how.

Maybe Nii had also imparted some of his abilities onto her! That would explain things! Perhaps bonds worked both ways!

Once again, she was given an opening to ask questions without having to flounder too much. It was also a chance to stall a potentially fruitless attempt at restoring the garden in front of an expectant Mephisto. How convenient! She took advantage of her opportunity and hoped he wouldn't notice.

"Both you and Amaimon have said that summoning Nii-chan might be hard here. I… I didn't have any trouble other than being confident enough to do it, even without using a circle." Shiemi bit her lower lip, and straightened herself into a typical kneeling position to address Mephisto, trying to find a way to word things.

Sometimes the best method was to be blunt. "Is that not… normal?"

"Exorcists can summon without circles if there's a contract or their familiar chooses to be obedient of its own accord and sense when it's needed. Respect and power can go a long way, for both demons and humans. You seem to have bonded rather deeply with your greenman, so it would be the latter in your case. Don't worry, those things will be discussed in more detail in future Tamer classes."

So that wasn't abnormal, just less common.

But Future Tamer classes? Was he still assuming she could be persuaded to remain in cram school? She bit back the meek protest that was about to spill out when she noticed he was staring at her intently again. Her mouth audibly clicked shut and she sunk in on herself a bit, not that that did any good.

There was no escaping those eyes.

"And as for summoning in alternate dimensions, I've found that others haven't had much success. You are one of the two mortals who have accomplished such a thing in six centuries. Congratulations, that is no small feat. "

That distinction made something twist sickly in her gut instead of feeling pride. One of two individuals. Two wasn't an arbitrary number. And it didn't include the Demon Kings, having mentioned 'mortals.' She couldn't help but recall the fact Amaimon had said there were two Emperors.

That knocked her back into the dreaded realm of being abnormal. Very much so, in fact.

Mephisto cleared his throat and nodded toward the bare beds around her, having decided he'd indulged her avoiding the task at hand long enough.

Right. _That._

Worrying her lower lip with her teeth again, Shiemi arranged her hands on the ground and closed her eyes.

In her mind, she pictured the garden as she remembered it, both from this morning and when it she'd spent countless hours in it with her grandmother. There had been goldenrods, marigolds, bluebeards, fescue and sage in these particular beds. She could hardly get one thing to grow, let alone so many species of plants!

 _'Relax. I'm pretty safe with Mephisto. He's intimidating, but he won't kill me while I sit here in the dirt. Helpless. And hurt. And alone. With him watching me, like a hungry—'_

Shiemi silenced herself. This particular inner pep talk wasn't helping, either. She tried again and kept it simple this time.

 _'It's not a big deal if I can't, I just need to try. Visualise it.'_

Pressing her eyes tighter together, she imagined a sea of colors and slowly, those coalesced into the plants she desired, forming until they cemented themselves in her mind. She could almost see them swaying in the breeze and smell their fragrant aromas mixing together in the cool autumn air.

Peeking through one eye, Shiemi looked around.

Nothing had happened.

She didn't bother looking at Mephisto because she knew it would break any concentration and confidence she had mustered up. It was bad enough she knew he was there, she didn't need to see him, too. Thankfully, he remained silent as well.

 _'Just forget about him. Relax! I need to imagine I'm here and gardening by myself, like always. Weeding, watering, planting...'_ Inspiration struck her. _'Maybe I'm thinking too far ahead. I keep thinking of mature plants. What if I started from the beginning?'_

Going through her memories, she re-enacted helping her grandmother plant the seeds and cuttings that had been here. She quickly went through the process of what was needed to prepare the earth for each species she was wanting to grow, as she would have in reality, and went from there.

 _'Now, all it takes is time…that I don't have.'_ Shiemi felt her fingertips tingle and realised she'd been digging them forcefully into the ground without knowing. __'_ Please, grow!'_

And suddenly she noticed it. Unlike the times before, when she'd been panicking, this time she could actually focus on the feeling. She felt… bubbly, for the lack of a better word. Like a spring brimming at the banks, about to overflow. It was uncanny and pleasant all rolled into one. Little bubbles tickling her insides, floating their way up to the surface of her skin, all the way up to her hair. Then a sensation much like warm water washed over her and and she marveled as it flowed back down her arms into the ground where she imagined it seeping in and spreading into the beds, nourishing her imaginary plants. It felt very real, so much so that she opened her eyes to check, despite knowing there couldn't possibly be any actual water around her.

To Shiemi's delight, small buds began to poke out of the ground in different spots. They weren't everywhere she'd wanted them to be, and they were growing at a sluggish rate, but they were growing before her very eyes! Unfortunately, the patchy growth faltered as her concentration broke, and she could already feel what little she'd done taxing her. This was a lot harder than using Nii-chan, that was certain, and sweat had broken out across her skin again.

Instead of trying for whole beds, she focussed on one sage that seemed larger than the other plants and willed it to continue. Slowly but surely, it sprouted more branches and then budded before her eyes. It was stunted, lumpy, and looked rather pathetic, but within a minute or so of concerted effort, it was passable as a mature plant in her eyes.

The bitter-orange had been far more impressive in scale, but this… she had done this without undue pressure! Well, without too much undue pressure. In any event, she had done it on her own through sheer force of will! No claws or unwanted advances required!

It was a success!

Smiling brightly, she looked over at Mephisto, who, while interested, didn't look nearly as ecstatic. She refused to let that get to her and took a shaky breath.

"It's… it's not much, but this is the first time I did it on purpose!" She wasn't sure if it was her excitement or fatigue making her shake this time, but Shiemi was practically vibrating. "Do you… do you want me to keep trying?"

Despite what he'd deemed less than stellar results, based off Mephisto's pensive face, Shiemi really hoped he didn't want her to do more.

"No, that will be enough for now. Small steps, but steps nonetheless. I wanted to make sure what you did with Amaimon wasn't a coincidence."

Shiemi smiled wider, grateful. Then, her stomach growled embarrassingly loud. Apparently hunger was starting to outweigh nerves. That had taken a lot out of her.

"Do you mind if I have the rest of my tea, and maybe a few cookies?" Shiemi silently willed the headmaster to say that she could simply go home and have an early lunch. She knew it was futile, but she could hope he'd pick up on it and let her go. She was definitely ready for it now.

"Certainly," came the distracted reply, as Mephisto himself continued to look deep in thought.

Oh well. That was better than nothing.

Standing up, Shiemi brushed herself off and, walking to the refreshments table, poured herself some more tea and grabbed two frilly looking cookies. Once back in her chair, she quickly set in on them as delicately as possible despite wanting to simply jam them into her mouth. She'd restrained herself in only taking two in the first place, but she didn't want to look greedy or rude even if Mephisto wasn't actively watching her for once. Washing them down with a mouthful of tea, she hoped it'd be enough to silence her stomach. Who knew how much longer they'd be here.

A minute or two ticked by before he turned his attentions back to her but she felt a bit more comfortable this time. She'd done as he'd asked, at least, to some degree. Now, as long as her tummy didn't rumble again, maybe she could get through this without any further embarrassments.

"Did you ever notice if your grandmother did anything similar?"

Shaking her head in the negative, Shiemi watched as he walked over to the sage and gingerly poked it with a booted toe. Half expecting it to die at that —he was Amaimon's brother after all— she was surprised as it floated up, surrounded by its patch of earth. Mephisto examined it closer, spinning the mound around with a twirl of his finger, before putting it back in its hole, just misshapen and imperfect as it had been when he'd removed it, but alive.

"Obaa-chan was really good with plants, but no, I never saw her do that..." Shiemi paused, understanding. He wouldn't have asked had it not been a possibility.

Shiemi's good feeling began to melt away again, replaced by curiosity and a thread of fear. Obaa-chan didn't have a familiar that she knew of, nor was she an Exorcist. She knew the answer before she even asked: Obaa-chan had been able to manipulate plant growth. On her own. "Could she? Do that, I mean?"

"To some extent, yes. And your mother?"

A nervous titter escaped Shiemi, despite herself, somehow feeling both over-energized and spent at the same time. "Okaa-san doesn't garden unless she has to. She told me once that she prefers her plants dried or in a tincture."

Mephisto laughed and, at Shiemi's confused look, supplied her with a vague answer. "Vices."

 _'Vices? Those are things like smoking and drinking, right?'_

Shiemi had never even considered it when her mother had said that, but now it made a lot more sense. She'd always thought her mother had meant herbs and plants in a form they could sell at the shop. She couldn't help the blush that fueled itself across her cheeks. There went the hope of not being embarrassed again.

"And your abilities started becoming more apparent after your mashou. " It wasn't a question.

Shiemi nodded, and her thoughts, unbidden, latched onto one word that was forcing itself to the surface after having been eddying around from the moment she'd first heard them. Nephilim.

Her, a Nephilim. That seemed outrageous, but with all this attention from both Amaimon and Mephisto and what they expected out of her… It was getting harder to think otherwise. What would that mean if it turned out to be true? Would that mean… she wasn't human?

She took another sip of the tea to try to ease her jumpy nerves, but it didn't want to go down and she sputtered out a series of wet, choking coughs. Thankfully, she cleared her throat quickly enough, but not before Mephisto turned back to her with a raised questioning eyebrow.

 _'How humiliating.'_ Shiemi covered her mouth and shook her head to imply she was okay before averting her eyes. _'Honestly, I'm probably reading into all of this far too much. I've never been good at puzzles and riddles. Yuki-chan always said not jump to conclusions.'_

Still, Shiemi had always felt different. She had jokingly told her friends she was learning how to be human, and they'd playfully voiced similar sentiments. However, it didn't seem as funny now. Not funny at all, actually.

"Penny for your thoughts? You seem rather tense, but, truthfully, there's no need to get so _choked u_ p. You're doing very well as far as I'm concerned."

Shiemi almost started gagging again, this time her throat catching on her own spit at Mephisto's pointedly worded interjection.

"Sorry. Um, I guess I was…" She began to tremble lightly and her cup rattled on the saucer, so Shiemi gripped them tighter. If only she had someone here as support to help her get through this. Camaraderie always made her feel more confident. "I just was wondering about something, but it seems silly."

"And what would that be?" He folded one arm across his chest and rested his other elbow on it, supporting his chin with a cupped hand. "Don't be shy. I'd love to hear what you have to say."

"It was something Amaimon had mentioned." Her nerves skyrocketed at his casual curiosity. The more Shiemi thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. She'd never been good at reading between the lines, and what if she was wrong! Everything about this was uncomfortable, and she wanted to leave and be with her friends if she couldn't have them here with her. "He had said that—"

"Well, isn't that interesting! It seems we're no longer alone!"

What?! Had her prayers been answered? Had one of her friends actually come? It seemed highly unlikely. Impossible, really.

Startled, Shiemi looked at him, then around. She saw nobody. Unsure of whom he was referring to, she was about to question him when she felt something tug on the front hem of her kimono near her left foot. It was more insistent the second time it happened and then another came from behind her leg, as well. Looking down, she saw two greenmen smiling up at her.

Mephisto came closer and squatted down to regard the demons, much like the sage plant. They hardly spared him more than a cursory glance as they clambered up her legs. Nii-chan wasn't among them and she felt a ping of sadness despite being amazed. Her shaking increased.

Had she done this? If so, it was yet another thing to add to her list of growing worry.

"Did you summon them on purpose?"

"No," Shiemi said as she shook her head, watching her new little friends as they moved. She'd never seen this many at once. There were four of them now.

The first of the larval greenman to clear the sheer climb of her legs started up her chest to her shoulders, while one decided split off from the rest and and stopped to inspect the rattling teacup resting in her lap. Dipping a leafy hand in, it chirruped happily and climbed inside, apparently deciding to take an herbal bath.

There was fluttering about her neck and the top of her head. Just as it did with Nii, the feeling of her hair being toyed with tickled, but she tried to maintain her composure. Shiemi wasn't sure if she felt more or less calm in the present situation, but she wasn't alone with the King of Time now, that was certain.

" _Oh?_ Tell me, then, what were you thinking about before they came?" Mephisto blithely asked again.

He continued to watch the small visitors alongside Shiemi as the little demons clambered about their new playground, looking perfectly at home on her. She felt more tugging and more little bodies climbing up her legs.

There were seven now. How adorable they were! But she was already tired, if too many more came, it would wear her out even further.

Shiemi didn't want to answer but knew honesty was best in this case, just as it was in most. "I'm nervous and didn't want to be alone."

They had come without her even trying. She hadn't tried, had she? Shiemi didn't think so. Then again, Nii sometimes seemed to appear right when she needed him instead upon a true summons. If he was attuned to her, that was understandable, but these demons…

The greenman in the teacup was greeted by a newcomer and was rudely pushed out when the other tried to climb in, as well. Trying to get back in, the first pushed the usurper out and a small fight broke out, as even more miniature demons began to clamor for space near her head and shoulders. Even more were arriving around her and starting the journey upward.

"Hm." Mephisto stood and observing everything keenly. A smile had crept across his lips, but she had other things to worry about.

There had to be at least twelve now.

Shiemi began to feel as if something heavy was pressing on her, but the greenmens' sleight weights seemed disproportional to the discomfort. She didn't understand why she was feeling so drained, and a clammy sweat broke out on her skin, followed by nausea. Sure, she'd grown the plants, but this was light-years beyond how tired she'd been only moments ago, and more akin to when she'd been fighting off the Impure King's seemingly endless spore growth.

She noticed four more start to climb up the chair and her legs and even more were coming.

Hadn't Izumo summoned dozens of little foxes and been okay? Shiemi couldn't imagine there were that many greenman her, but she was getting so sleepy.

The two at the teacup began to get rougher as they shoved at each other, vying for the prized spot, and things got worse when a third joined into the fray. Little vines and branches began to sprout as they fought with each other. It was escalating quickly, and the cup teetered in her hands that were once again shaking furiously.

Her relative calm, which had steadily diminished, now vanished completely. She was being swarmed. More greenman had come and she had lost count. It had to be at least close to two dozen.

" _Stop it_ , all of you!" Shiemi cried. The ones who'd managed to make it to the top of her head were gripping her hair hard to lean and peer down into her eyes, ripping a few strands out of her scalp in the process. It wasn't the pain that affected her, it was the fact that her neck felt as if it would give out. "That's enough!"

All of the small demons paused what they'd been doing, including the ones that were brawling, and they looked at her as best they could from their positions.

Her head began to bob forward, quickly followed by her shoulders, her torso, and the rest of her. She was falling over!

The horde of greenmen chirped in worry, which was less endearing with so many making the sound at the same time, and all began scrambling to help her, more vines and leaves appearing in their haste, this time not to fight, but to support her. It left her all the more exhausted but it stopped her undignified descent.

"Stop. You'll hurt yourself if you try to summon this much all at once and grow things, as well."

"I'm not trying to do this, but," she had to pause and catch her breath, "they keep coming!"

"It's not just them." Mephisto gestured around them, a wicked smile plastering itself across his face instead of the amused grin it had been. "The floodgates have opened."

She hardly had the energy to move her eyes around, but what she saw stunned her. Not only were there greenmen, but a scant number of other demons as well. Some she couldn't identify and, out of those, a few looked less than friendly. Thankfully none of them made a move toward her as she began to teeter on the brink of consciousness.

"I— wha— what's happ—"

She was inadvertently using too much of her energy, but she couldn't stop… whatever was going on. The only thing keeping her upright was a fragrant, light binding of plants and leafy little hands futilely attempting to push her back up when the vines ceased to grow. Shiemi's vision was beginning to fade around the edges.

"Eins, zwei, drei!" Mephisto's voice rang out and it was accompanied by the familiar snapping of his fingers.

And suddenly, based on the sound of things, it was just her, the chairman, and the garden again. When she managed to crack open her eyes, the chair and table had disappeared along with the demons.

The only changes that remained were the vines the greenmen had grown around her, and, as the chair was no longer there as a support either them or herself gravity suddenly remember to kick in and she landed in a crumpled heap. The vegetation pillowed her fall but not enough to prevent her wincing as her previous injuries were jostled again. Unpleasant as it was, the second fall of the day jolted her fully back into consciousness, at least momentarily. At least nothing felt more bruised than it had been.

That said, she felt unbelievably miserable in every other way.

Mephisto moved closer and extended an arm toward her, but instead of helping her up, she felt him slip something smooth —a bottle— into her hands.

"Here, drink this. It will help."

Shiemi managed wiggle her tired and abused body enough to prop herself on the vines a bit better so she wouldn't spill whatever he'd given her all over herself, not that she wasn't already filthy. Thankfully it was already open. She didn't think she had the strength to twist off a cap.

Without even bothering to examine it further, Shiemi threw caution to the wind and took an unsteady but grateful sip. Anything would help at this point.

Or maybe not!

Fighting back a sputter of disgust as the liquid hit her tongue, she forced herself to swallow it. She didn't recognize the smell or taste.

"Is this a magic potion?" Shiemi asked blearily.

"No, it's a Lipovitan D," his response came out in a excited chuckle.

She would have blushed if she could have, but it was taking all she had to fight off losing consciousness. Wasn't that an energy drink? She'd seen some students around campus drinking them.

"Go ahead and finish it," he prompted her, and within a few minutes, Shiemi had managed to drink it all, only gagging a few times. It had tasted horrible… and she didn't feel any better. How fast-acting was this supposed to be? She hoped it kicked in soon. She was still so, so very tired, and it seemed to aggravate her nausea even more.

"Can you sit up?"

Shiemi tried and only managed to lift a portion of her chest up before her shaking arms gave out and she fell back onto the vines. The answer was obvious.

"Hm. We'll give it a few more minutes to see if the caffeine kicks in. You used up quite a bit of energy with your performance."

"I didn't mean to," Shiemi admitted again, slowly. "I couldn't get whatever was happening to stop."

"I relaxed all of the non-essential barriers and allowed easier access to both Assiah and Gehenna to see what would happen. I'd already seen what happened while I was hindering your attempts at changing the environment before that, so naturally, I needed to see what the opposite would do. All I can say is: _Bravo!"_

Shiemi didn't answer. She didn't know what to say, nor did she think she could speak without the words being an incoherent, mumbled mess at this point. Her foggy mind understood one thing though: he'd been testing her. This whole time. Amaimon hadn't lied to her. What if he hadn't lied about the other things he'd said, either?

That would mean…

No matter how hard she fought, her eyes were insisting on closing themselves. As she began to fall asleep, she vaguely heard Mephisto as he counted and snapped his fingers again.

Suddenly, she was wide awake.

The first thing she noticed was that she was a fair bit cleaner and in her school uniform. A wave of relief washed over her. Getting out of her ruined, sweaty kimono felt much better.

The second thing Shiemi noticed was the light of the non-sun had moved noticeably closer to the middle of the sky than it had been, but it was just as hazy as it had been before. At any rate, it looked like it was almost noon, now. Out of everything else, what had just happened? Had he just moved time forward? In the past?! To her felt as if only moments had passed since her eyes had closed, however, based on the position of the light in the sky, it had been much longer.

Her head and vision were clear, so some good had come from whatever he'd done, and it was more than just a clean set of clothes. But now, she was utterly, irrevocably confused. Nothing made sense today. Nothing at all.

"Don't worry, I didn't peek." Mephisto said, referring to the change in her attire. His eyes were gleaming feverishly and his smile was far too sharp and wide. In a further attempt to assuage her confusion and fears, he continued and motioned to the sky. "And don't worry about that, either, it's nothing you'll ever miss: just two hours. The state you were in wasn't fit for conversation."

She boggled at how casually he had said that. _'I lost two hours of my life?! Hours I'll never get back…'_

"If it makes it more palatable and easy to understand, imagine it as having slept dreamlessly. Feel better?"

"Yes." Getting angry would solve nothing, so it was the only thing she allowed herself to say. But, no, it didn't help Shiemi understand Mephisto stealing hours of her life in the slightest. This wouldn't have even been an issue had he allowed her to actually sleep and picked up the conversation at a naturally later time like a normal person would have done.

"Now, now. Don't lie. You're mad." He was far too chipper.

"I do feel better," she insisted, clarifying, "but, no, I'm not happy."

"Wonderful!" She wasn't sure how he took that as a positive statement, but she had no time to guess before Mephisto started talking again.

"As you can tell, I am very happy! Ecstatic even! That was fantastic! I asked for a demonstration and you certainly gave me one." He lowered his voice, almost muttering to himself, but the euphoria remained. "So very interesting. I sensed thirty-seven demons enter the dimension, and not all of them earth kin, which seems to be your knack!"

He had begun pacing and she only caught words like "stamina," "will-power," and "better than last attempt."

She understood what the first two to were likely referring to, but had no clue what he meant by the 'last attempt.' She didn't recall anything similar to this, so perhaps he wasn't talking about her. Or maybe he just hadn't told her he'd tried something before now and it hadn't been enough of a 'success' for her to notice.

Shiemi said nothing and dolefully looked at the garden around them, letting him continue his vocal musings.

Almost everything had gone back to as it had been when she'd arrived, making it look as the morning's events had never even happened. He'd apparently done an early reset when he had stolen two hours of her life. She wondered if they had simply passed by or he had literally kept them, but quickly decided against going down that line of thought as she didn't have any clue of the actual sciences of behind what had happened in an alternate dimension. Bringing in the unnatural workings of demon magic... well, that was another can of worms entirely.

 _'Unnatural.'_

It had been all but confirmed. She wasn't normal, self-deprecating humor aside, and all that was left was to ask the demon in front of her to confirm her fear. She had to know the truth. Shiemi took advantage of a silent moment, as he stood there stroking his goatee.

"What am I?" Shiemi forced herself to say the words through a throat that was feeling entirely too thick. "Am I— am I human?"

"Are you sure you want me to answer that?" Mephisto asked very seriously, to her surprise. If it weren't for the manic expression on his face, she would have assumed she'd walked in on one of her mother's business meetings. "If you truly wish to proceed with this conversation, you won't be able to tell anyone else what I reveal without my both consent and my presence; bound into confidentiality as Take-san and Maria-san were and Mariko-san currently is."

Shiemi was astounded and needed to take a moment to process what he'd just laid out before her. Never would she have anticipated this as a response. It was so formal sounding and made her heart clench with fear. A literal deal with a devil; everything their books had advised against. "You'll only tell me if I make a contract with you?"

"Unbeknownst to you, you are already under a blood contract, passed down from Take-san. You were protected inherently until you came to me and asked your question. Now, I can't continue with that protection nor can you receive any answers… that is, unless you reseal it with me as proof of your consent to the terms. I, myself, am bound by the rules of the initial agreement that she and I made. My hands are tied." For show, once again, he raised them before he and she almost expected a literal binding to appear.

Amaimon had been right about _many_ things… okaa-san had withheld vital information. Her mother knew. She knew all along. So did obaa-chan. But if they were under a contract of silence, she couldn't really fault them for not telling her, could she? This was making her head hurt.

"What… what happens if I do tell someone?"

"You lose my promise of devoted protection to the utmost of my abilities. Nothing more, nothing less. Certain people are hunted and endangered by high-level demons —including many of my younger brothers— for people such as yourself having the audacity to simply exist. I've kept your family safe here at True Cross for over one-hundred years now… as long they maintained their silence and let me be their sole guardian.

"There is a reason that this home is heavily warded and inaccessible by conventional means. Apart from my manor, the old keep, and another other location, this is one of the most heavily guarded portions of the city. Your family is more important to me than virtually every other soul living in this city. Not all, but most."

His intensity was alarming.

She never would have guessed her family meant anything to him other than as a supplier of herbs for the Exorcists in Tokyo. Although, she had always found it odd that it was so hard to get to their house, not that she'd left it much prior to joining the cram school. And in all of that time, she'd never seen him visit the shop, himself; not once. That's not to say he hadn't, but she'd never been present if he had... which she realised didn't count for much. She'd rarely seen many customers at all, apart from Yukio before starting cram school.

But, ever since meeting Mephisto, the headmaster had only seemed concerned about Rin. Not even Yukio received special treatment from him. Wasn't he a Son of Satan, as well, despite not having flames?

Thinking of the brothers made her pause. She wouldn't be able to turn to them for help or comfort.

Mephisto hadn't given her the answer she was looking for, and Shiemi wasn't sure what she could do to proceed without doing as he asked. A sealed contract to know what she was and being guaranteed his protection held appeal... but to be bound into secrecy? Her friends would have questions if, no, _when_ she couldn't control her burgeoning powers. Izumo, Rin, and Yukio had already begun questioning her abilities.

And something else bothered her. Secrets always managed to come out. And now, she would have not one but _two._ Two enormous secrets at that _._

"What happens if other people find out? If I choose not to make a contract?"

"That _is_ a problem, isn't it? Not everyone is as," he looked as if he was searching for the right words, which for him was rare, "unassuming as you are, Moriyama-san. I'm sure certain people will start drawing their own conclusions, not all of them very becoming for a young lady such as yourself. It's quite the secret and everyone will be advancing in their studies soon, so it's only a matter of time. Suddenly summoning hordes of demons or plant life growing seemingly of its own accord all around you might raise questions even sooner. The much esteemed Arthur Auguste Angel is a very suspicious, very unforgiving man to those with certain... familial relations. Did Rin ever tell you the Paladin cut off his foot during his initial hearing?"

Shiemi gasped, indicating her answer. What a horrible thing to do! But something like that was exactly what she was afraid of. If she agreed, would Mephisto help her control... whatever this power was? To keep it hidden? She wasn't sure, but it seemed implied.

On the other hand, if she declined, how would she discover information on her own if it wasn't in the books they had at school? She had no access to the Exorcist archives without the chairman's permission and there would be no chance of Mephisto allowing her to bypass him and learn for herself. Besides, research wasn't her strong suit. It would be even _harder_ if she quit cram school.

Then another blow struck her: could she even quit?

Right now, all Shiemi wanted to do was cry. Everything about this was a waking nightmare. Yet another secret to keep, another lie to live, but she had to know. What had occurred earlier proved that no matter what happened, she needed some sort of guidance in control.

Really, there was only one way out, and she was looking at him as he waited for her response. Her decision wasn't so much as made but forced.

"And as soon as I make the deal, you'll tell me… right? And the protection continues?" At his sound of agreement, reluctantly, Shiemi nodded. "I accept."

"Excellent!" His gloves disappeared without the typical snap and flourish, exposing pale hands tipped in dark purple claws. He extended one toward her. She could almost see the veins through the papery skin on his wrist and it looked deceptively fragile. "May I?"

She nodded, moving closer, and apprehensively placed her own into his. One of the claws on his free hand sharpened noticeably and he pricked the pad of her palm. A single bead of blood welled out as he quickly curled his fingers into a fist and pierced his own, then firmly pressed their wounds together for a brief moment.

His skin was warmer than she'd expected and very soft, but that wasn't all too surprising since he wore gloves all the time. She vaguely wondered how rough hers felt to him after her years spent working the earth.

Stepping back, Mephisto withdrew his arm and began drawing in the air with the fingers he'd dragged through their mingled blood. An arcane symbol blazed a fluorescent green before her, a circle etching itself around the central rune with smaller characters appearing in an outer ring in time with his movements. It happened so quickly that she couldn't decipher anything other than a symbol for blood and what might have been her name.

Before she knew it, he'd brought his hands together and immediately separated them. With that simple movement, the finished contract split into almost identical floating seals. The one to her right turned a deep red, flew to her chest and sank in, while the one that remained green went into Mephisto. It was all over in less than fifteen seconds.

"The deal has been made."

It was odd; Shiemijust sealed a contract with a Demon King, but it hadn't hurt at all and she felt no different. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting.

"For the record, allow me to start by saying, it was far less convoluted with Mariko-san and Maria-san, but without Take-san to demonstrate her abilities to you herself and pique your interest —and with your "mother" choosing to not bring you to me— I had to improvise. You had to desire answers, but you couldn't do that without first knowing the questions to ask, could you? Amaimon was the perfect method to convey things to you as well as validate my suspicions. I knew he'd grow impatient and would try to slip you the information himself, should he have been suitably impressed with your abilities. And I was right."

The steady onslaught of words came to a sudden halt, and he looked at her eagerly, waiting. "So, my dear, what are you?"

Shiemi waited, too, thinking it was rhetorical and that he would start talking again, but he didn't. Why did he ask her? Was he not going to tell her?

"Moriyama-san, you may not have top marks, but you're a bright enough girl. Surely you already know the answer with the knowledge you've gained today from my otouto. You tell _me_ what you are."

He was serious. _'Why is he doing this?'_

Samael —she couldn't think of calling him anything but that at this moment— wasn't even going to tell her himself. He was making her hazard a guess, and even though she was almost certain at this point, it frustrated her. She had just made a deal with him for this knowledge and he was still holding back.

Well, Shiemi assumed he'd correct her if she was wrong, and she kind of hoped she was, but she knew of no other possible answer. She didn't even understand what _this_ answer meant. Licking her dry lips, Shiemi forced herself to look at him in the eyes without crying.

"I— I'm a Nephilim."

His jubilant expression confirmed that she was right and he howled with excited laughter.

"Indeed you are, indeed you are. But not it's not just that. Finally, there is once again a creature _worthy_ of being called Nephilim of Shemihaza, Emperor of Creation and not just some pathetic imitation, Nephilim in name alone! It's be far too long!"

Shiemi wavered on her feet. Now she knew. But what did being a Nephilim _mean_? What now? Was she going to become a completely different person?

"I told you I had stories of your grandmother that would make you blush, didn't I?" his laughter tapered off and he began wiping away mirthful tears. "I won't tell you them now —hardly appropriate for a headmaster to tell a student some of the things that woman did!— but I will say that she was a tremendous help to me over the years. She did all she could with what little ability she had. And before you ask, yes: she did it of her own free will. I never forced her into anything."

Again Shiemi stood there, saying nothing. Shock was setting in. She did everything of her 'own free will?' That sounded... What had obaa-chan done?

Her grandmother had lived a whole life before her, she knew that, but what had happened since Shiemi had entered it? She didn't think she could take it if she found out the best thing in her life was a lie on top of everything else. Her mother had said that obaa-chan had hidden a number of things, that she wasn't the person Shiemi thought she was. She wasn't sure she wanted to know any more. Perhaps some secrets should be kept, after all.

"She did a marvelous job raising you." He was over the moon. "Cultivated like a hothouse orchid."

She began to blink rapidly, her breaths coming in gulps. This couldn't be happening. Her lifestory was changing too rapidly, perhaps it was about to be torn apart down to its very foundation. And he was… smiling.

Samael approached Shiemi slowly and reached out a hand to allow a lock of her hair to play through his fingers. The white-blonde strands contrasted sharply with the deep lavender suede of his gloves that had re-appeared without her noticing.

"Take-san moved my schedule forward by centuries. She was such a fortuitous find: special —talented— but she was like a single bud compared to you, a cherry tree readying for its full springtime glory. And the best thing? You've only _just_ started coming into bloom and spring is right around the corner."

Shiemi began to panic as she realised that telltale tingling in her fingers had returned, then frantically began looking around. Was this going to happen everything time she got stressed out? She had just recovered, at the cost of two hours of her life, she couldn't afford to lose control again.

Samael noticed immediately. "Don't worry, I've shut off any access beyond the boundaries of this dimension, which, I've also made immutable. I would advise you to learn how to moderate yourself. It could become problematic if you don't. Uncontrolled Nephilim can be dangerous. I would hate for you to find out what happens to those unfortunate souls."

Shiemi wasn't foolish enough to miss the threat that hung behind the words. However, at the moment, she was settled for being grateful that he seemed to be upholding his end of the bargain as she felt the warm, watery sensation of her powers activating was far less pleasant this time. He was… containing her, and she could almost palpably feel it trapped against her skin, needling at her pores to get out. It left her feeling like she would drown in her on flesh, but as the moments passed, it was obvious she wouldn't. It was a wretched feeling. That she wouldn't spend all of her newly regained energy was a minor consolation, but apart from the imposed restraint, Samael offered no further advice.

Taking several deep breaths, she tried to think of something to calm herself down, but everything that normally would have only upset her more. If she were a water balloon, she'd be fit to burst with how much the fluid energy was pushing against her skin, no longer lapping but rushing about in a steady torrent seeking a way out. Trying to make sense of things and keep herself from falling apart, Shiemi latched onto something solid to steady herself, something she knew was a fact: demons lied.

Perhaps he was lying. He had no reason to, but she could hope he was. Desperate, she looked for anything to validate her theory, literally casting her eyes about as her mind raced. It didn't take long. The trellis covered in drying grapevines. Obaa-chan.

What about his oath of protection? Why had he not saved her grandmother from being crushed by a trellis? That was hardly something he couldn't have prevented; it was something very simple... a very mundane way to die.

"Obaa-chan is dead."

"She is," he acknowledged, quirking an eyebrow, the unspoken question in his voice.

"Grandmother— She… she died here in the garden," Shiemi pointed to the wooden structure and the movement brought no actual pain with it, despite how tight her skin felt. "Right there. If she was so important to you, and you made a promise to protect her… why? Why didn't you save her?"

He snorted lightly, shaking his head, but it seemed without malice.

"It was simply her time to go. While I can do many things, I cannot predict or prevent accidents such as what happened with the trellis. The condition of the wood, the wind, where she had been standing, her advanced age… there are many factors that played into the situation, and with nobody around to assist her, nobody seeking aide… well, it was regrettable." He gave Shiemi a rather pointed look at that moment. She couldn't decipher what it was for —was he blaming her for not being there to help her grandmother?— and before she could analyze it further, he continued. "Had there been a demonic presence, I would have been alerted, but that wasn't the case. I'm powerful, but not all powerful, nor am I omnipresent. I did not lie about protecting your family to the best of my abilities."

He hadn't mentioned that there were conditions when she made the deal. The protection was obviously more limited than implied. Far more limited.

"And my birth mother?" How was he going to explain this one? Shiemi had been told that her death was at the hands of the Illuminati. That hardly counted as an accident.

"Unfortunately, yes, she's passed on as well, but she made several poor decisions and eventually turned her back on me." Samael clucked his tongue ruefully. "Maria-san decided to break her contract of silence and I was no longer obligated to protect her. She'd put herself into a position that was very compromising; that even if I had felt the desire to do it of my own accord, it would have put my plans and the lives of countless others into jeopardy. So, I let her fate play out without intervening."

Maria had broken her silence and died because of it. Did the same fate await Shiemi, herself? How strict was the contract? What counted as telling people? Just words? What if someone figured things out somehow and she confirmed what they said without speaking? She really should have waited longer and asked more questions before agreeing. It was too late now. And he wasn't being very forthcoming with information after all of that, either.

The tightly compressed sensation inside her continued, and she fought down the urge to tear at her skin to relieve the pressure. Why did he demand silence of all things? What was he getting out of this? There must have been some greater value to Nephilim than she was aware, especially if they had a tendency to be hunted down. Was growing plants really that helpful to such a powerful demon, like him, or such a threat to the others? She couldn't imagine so.

But from what he was telling her, he knew more information about Maria. There was another question she needed answered, an answer that would hopefully ground her, but she couldn't possibly imagine how. She knew how her mother's story ended, but not how it had gone so horribly wrong.

"Could you tell me why she went to the Illuminati? Was she… evil?" Thankfully, unlike Amaimon, he didn't laugh at her assumption.

"Good and evil are relative terms," he began, "however, I will say this: she might have joined the Illuminati and turned her back on the Order —why, only she could tell you— but she died nobly, or at least that's what I've heard. I know that probably means something to people like you, and one could go so far as calling it dying for a 'good' cause. Her last moments were spent trying to do something many altruistic individuals would call admirable and it cost her her life. She made her own choices, right until the very end."

When Samael winked at Shiemi, she tried to not let it bother her, but it seemed incredibly distasteful. They were talking about the death of her birth mother, after all. "At least one of your friends would even thank her personally for her sacrifice if they knew the whole story."

And there it was; something for her to latch onto. Out of all of this, there was the tiny little ray of hope she always searched for in the darkness.

Maria had died possibly trying to redeem herself. She grasped onto this single silver thread as a lifeline and watched in her mind as it billowed and floated higher and higher, expanding and weaving in and around itself into a silver cocoon around her and out of the mire within herself. Her mother hadn't been evil. At least, not entirely. Whatever she had done, she had died trying to be a good person.

And Shiemi had a feeling she knew which friend.

The undue amount of anger she'd faced with her compared to the others in the cram school class; Shiemi's arduous, uphill struggle to get her to rely and trust her as a an equal, and then as a true friend... Izumo had met her mother while in the Inari compound, as she'd feared. But the former miko had overcome whatever she had felt toward Maria and become friends with her, Shiemi. Who knew if Izumo actually knew who Maria had been, it was apparently enough that Shiemi strongly reminded her of the woman. And she'd gotten over it.

Maybe her mother's kindness had planted the seed of forgiveness that Shiemi had managed to foster in her friend. That meant more than anything else at that moment.

Shiemi felt hope truly spring within herself again, the silver cocoon in her mind warming her and protecting her very essence. Rin and Yukio were overcoming their parentage. Bon and Koneko were unifying in solidarity with those who had ties to their own family and friends' downfall. Izumo had put aside her hatred and opened her heart again. And Shiemi loved each of them with all of her being. Shima, too. He could still be changed, even if he was warped into something unrecognizable for a little while.

She even felt love for her unknown mother fill her for the first time, not just the grief of not knowing her or her misdeeds. It would most likely be the same for her grandmother, regardless of whatever she'd done. She would always hold the truths of memories with obaa-chan dear. She didn't need to know all of their faults. She knew about their goodness, and redemption and forgiveness could be given freely. So Shiemi did. It was a beautiful feeling, and she felt it with all of her heart.

The heart. The heart is what made them all human, as long as there was a shred of humanity in them, even the faintest flicker, and it was boundless. It was malleable. It could be tempered and hardened and closed-off and be remade to be soft and opened. It took time and effort, but it could happen. Shiemi had witnessed it herself.

She would weather whatever Samael said and come out stronger… like Izumo—like her friend had said: Shiemi was a weed. At the time she had told Izumo that it was the best compliment she'd ever received, and Shiemi maintained that sentiment. She could persevere through anything. She would. Shiemi would take over her garden and choke out whatever got in her way to restore order to her world. Her heart. It was hers and hers alone, not Samael's, not anyone else's, but she would share it with anyone who wanted in.

The constrained feeling had abated, but she still felt tuned in to the energy flowing around her.

He didn't seem surprised when a small smile eked its way across her lips, and again, he picked up on her shift in mood immediately. "A smile? Humans are so curious. Dare I ask, what makes you so happy all of a sudden after being on the verge of tears?"

"People are inherently good. They try to do what they think is right, and even if they make all the wrong choices, there's still a chance for them to turn it all around in one deed. "

"Are they now?" he laughed. "Shiemi Moriyama, Nephilim of Shemihaza. Fostering life where there should be nothing but razed and barren earth. As I said, good and evil are irrelevant. And even if you ascribe to that notion, turning a whole life around in one deed? That's impressive. It's human tenacity and imagination that are a sight to behold and never ceases to amaze me. Yours is almost obsessive; your will to persevere and your zeal to find the 'good' in others. So much so, it's almost _inhuman_."

Shiemi bristled lightly.

"Did you know demons develop obsessions very easily? Amaimon is developing one for you, if you haven't noticed," Samael smirked.

Shiemi chose to ignore his remark about his brother. It wasn't something she wanted to hear, and it made her feel slightly ill. She'd already known he was focusing on her, but not the level of it.

The rest, however… well, she'd use her abilities as best she could to help others in as many deeds as it took. She would make up for her own faults with her actions, even if she had to keep it a secret. She was human as far as she was concerned. Nephilim was just a title, but at least she knew now.

"I'm still the same me I've always been. I always will be."

"Indeed you are, and indeed you will be. However, I need to caution you again, it seems you're having a problem exercising restraint. You almost caused yourself harm, and moments ago I had to stop you from —shall we say— _running wild_ again. I would advise you exert an extra amount of focus when summoning your familiar to avoid such an issue in the future. It's very easy to overtax yourself when just starting out, or even injure others. Okumura-kun had similar issues, although I hardly need to tell you that."

Shiemi agreed, despite it being obvious Samael had played a hand in how things had gone in the garden, but she had no idea how she was supposed to manage this new issue. "What should I do? To help control things?"

"Keep calm and carry on."

That was less than helpful and Shiemi wasn't going to accept it as an answer. She'd paid for information and she would get some. Setting her jaw, she tried to pull herself together and look presentable but firm. "I sealed the contract, like you asked. Telling me that I'm a Nephilim doesn't help me _be_ one. Please, tell me something that I can actually use. Am I going to change somehow? Does this mean that I need extra training with someone?"

She dreaded he would say Amaimon.

"Continue trying to manage things on your own for now. Should it be required, then yes, assistance will be provided. However, I'm very much a supporter of education on the go. Active learning and self-experimentation accomplish more than hours of lectures. I do believe you're acquainted with who would be your adviser should you really choose to go that route."

Shiemi had been right and she couldn't help pulling a sour face, which caused Samael to laugh.

"Yes, him."

Amaimon had been telling the truth on all counts. That was both refreshing and frustrating at the same time. He'd actually been more honest with her than her own friends and family had been. Maybe the 'fact' that demons lied was overrated. Everyone lied. Even her. He would be her teacher if she needed one, and while his methods were harsh, he hadn't lied to her at all; she had to give him that. If Amaimon was the only option, then so be it. She would manage... somehow.

"I think this is a good place to end things, don't you?"

In a puff of smoke, the golden door appeared again, but when he opened it, it was the interior of the Futsumaya shop. Obviously, no more information was going to be shared.

"Allow me?" Samael tipped his hat to her. "It's only proper to escort a lady home."

Shiemi turned and looked at the house in the alternate dimension one last time. The door before her would save her walking across the long bridge should she use her own key, but little else. That wouldn't take long, but she was already sore and extra effort seemed off-putting. Also, there seemed to be no harm in going the space-bending portal, either. This was a far easier decision to make than binding herself into silence.

Having decided, Shiemi headed gratefully toward the proffered exit, eager to leave. The bath was waiting for her and she had a lot to think about. Far too much.

Samael allowed her to pass through the door and enter the shop. Out of habit and courtesy, once a few steps away, Shiemi turned to him and did a full bow, even if she didn't really feel like doing it. "Good day, Pheles-san."

"Moriyama-san. You know how to reach me, should the need arise." The door clicked shut and then both he and it were gone.

Finally… _home._

Shiemi sighed, and slumping over with relief, she finally allowed herself a good, ugly cry. The stress of the last few days caught up with her and she let it all out. She wasn't sure how long she sat there heaped upon the floor of the shop, but she didn't care.

When the tears and hiccups tapered off, Shiemi raised herself to her feet, and a thought struck her. She'd just had a meltdown and her fingers hadn't started tingling. She counted her blessings. That would have been the last thing she needed.

Feeling marginally better, Shiemi headed toward the counter to check on orders and see if anyone had stopped by. She'd been gone far longer than expected. After she'd assured herself everything was as it should be and only one new order had come in by phone, she could afford a little time for herself. She made herself a quick lunch and ate it even faster in anticipation of what came next.

Now, for that long-awaited bath…

Shiemi headed to the shed to get a spare yukata and kimono. She was pleasantly surprised to see the kimono that she'd worn that morning laying on her bed. Picking it up, a small paper fluttered down to the floor, but at the moment she was too busy marveling at what was before her. Her obaa-chan's kimono was free of grass stains and the tattered sleeve was whole again.

Holding the garment tight against her chest, she bent over to retrieve what she had correctly assumed was a note that simply read: " _For nostalgia~_ "

Mephisto had fixed it for her.

Shiemi couldn't help but smile. Perhaps things weren't going to be as bad as she'd feared! She might be tempting fate by summoning him so soon, but the crying session she'd managed to get through without disastrous results gave her a smattering of confidence. She and Nii-chan were going to rest and enjoy themselves. It was well-deserved as far as she was concerned.

She didn't want to be alone right now.

Her life was already changing in drastic ways and summoning her friend, just him and him alone. Shiemi was going to need a lot it — practice and the support of her friends— and Nii-chan counted as both.

* * *

Entering his office through the same golden door, Mephisto takes off his top hat and cape and drapes them on the coat stand near his desk. Stripping off his gloves and lays them on his desk, he pauses upon turning around, startled.

"Goodness, I didn't expect to see you here!" He shrugs out of his coat and hangs it next to the cloak.

"Turn around, pervert," he laughs as he reaches for his balloon pants waistline and begins to pull it down, winking. "Or not, I'm not modest. Many men and women would love to have a peek at my tail, in more ways than one. Would you happen to be one of them?"

He continues to undress and when bare, snaps his fingers, only to appear fully clothed in jeans and a shirt.

"What, did you think I usually put my pants on one leg at a time like everyone else? I would have assumed you knew better by now: I am hardly _anyone else_. Besides, the fun is in taking the clothes _off._ Preferably taking them off others, but taking them off oneself can be appealing as well, as long as there's a captive audience such as yourself. Never let it be said that I don't love to put on a good show!"

"Finally the garden scene is over… for now. I really do hope she goes back soon though. It's the perfect space to practice and she really needs to see what happened that night. I need her to come back and demand more answers… for a price, of course, but it would be something that she would see as being mutually beneficial, I'm sure. You always have to know what they'll be willing to pay and then _step_ over that line. Playing games with the dealer... it's always in the house's favor. Not to mention, I can see _all_ of the cards.

"Why do I need her help? As I've mentioned in the past, I have a pest who's blighting my garden, but I lack the green thumb to destroy it without ruining everything else that has been nurtured thus far. I require the confirmation of my suspicions and need a more… delicate touch to get that information. Miss Moriyama is perfect for the task. Now, now! Don't laugh! It's well within her means to accomplish. She just needs to have the desire to help me, and seeing as I've left her with very little recourse... well, you'll see soon enough!"

Mephisto bows and blows a kiss.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I hear Amaimon cursing my name. Let me give him further reason to do so. He played his part well, so it won't go too badly for him and he should be available for the next chapter… most of him anyway."


End file.
